Series:Center for the Study of Democracy - CSD Policy Briefs

CSD Policy Brief No. 01: Corruption in the Higher Education

CSD Policy Brief No. 01: Corruption in the Higher Education

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: corruption;

In September 2003, the Corruption Monitoring System (CMS) of Coalition 2000 came into the media spotlight, exemplifying its impact on the policy debate about corruption. The presentation of the quarterly indexes of CMS on September 10 sparked a strong reaction by both critics of corruption in the universities and academic faculty and management. The specific reason was that compared to the previous quarterly data, the CMS registered a substantial increase in the bribery demands on citizens by university professors (21.5% in July 2003, up from 11.8% in May 2003). Overall, the level of corruption pressure for this group has been fairly high (10-14%); what focused the public attention this time was that they topped the rankings of corrupt officials. // Coalition 2000’s media monitoring1 shows that university corruption has not received adequate press coverage. This has picked up in 2003, although the topic is treated generally (20% of the coverage deals with specific allegations). A notable development has been the increasing use of the internet for transparency pressure, including Coalition 2000’s own website where a number of whistleblowers have sent information about corruption in their universities.

CSD Policy Brief No. 02: Anti-Corruption Reforms in the Judiciary

CSD Policy Brief No. 02: Anti-Corruption Reforms in the Judiciary

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Corruption;

In the first week of October 2003, the Center for the Study of Democracy published the Judicial Anti-Corruption Program (JACP), a policy paper developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme. The JACP is the first document of its kind detailing a comprehensive agenda for reducing corruption within the judiciary and enhancing its efficiency in penalizing administrative and political corruption. The Program deals with the most significant constitutional, legislative and institutional aspects of anti-corruption measures in the judiciary and combines gap analysis with extensive policy recommendations. // The development of the JACP involved more than 30 eminent Bulgarian legal professionals, including magistrates, and resulted from the combined efforts of influential non-governmental organizations, representatives of state institutions, and experts. This approach reflects CSD’s long standing capacity to bring together various reform constituencies and allows the Program to draw on most of the suggestions provided by government agencies, NGOs, professional associations and media. The analysis and the proposals made are supported by the survey Corruption and Anti-Corruption: the Magistrates' Viewpoint carried out by Coalition 2000 and Vitosha Research. The survey, carried out among 454 magistrates from the whole country in the period April-May, 2003, using the methodology of the Coalition 2000 Corruption Monitoring System, was the first ever survey on corruption issues conducted among magistrates.

CSD Policy Brief No. 03: The Long Way of the Emerging Ombudsman Institution in Bulgaria

CSD Policy Brief No. 03: The Long Way of the Emerging Ombudsman Institution in Bulgaria

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Ombudsman;

Bulgaria continues to be among the few European countries without a national ombudsman institution, although the legislative framework is already in place. The election of the first Bulgarian parliamentary ombudsman, which took place at the National Assembly on May 14, 2004, failed as none of the nominated candidates succeeded in obtaining the required majority of more than half of the votes of the MPs participating in the voting. The main reason for the failure was the inability of political parties represented in Parliament to reach a consensus in the process of nominating candidates, which led to only partisan nominations being put forward.

CSD Policy Brief No. 04: The Outstanding Agenda for Political Party Reform in Bulgaria

CSD Policy Brief No. 04: The Outstanding Agenda for Political Party Reform in Bulgaria

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

A well controlled and transparent political parties system is crucial for the strengthening of democracy and the rule of law in any country. For Bulgaria, in particular, this is a field that has often been subject to reforms, which, however, have been inconsistent and far from effective. The present legal framework of political parties (the Law on Political Parties of 2001) reveals a number of gaps. At present, there is a new Draft Law on Political Parties, recently submitted to the Parliament for second reading, which offers solutions to the above as well as other shortcomings. However, the support of the civil society and the international community is needed to speed up the passing of the law and to streamline the reforms prior to the upcoming 2005 parliamentary elections.

CSD Policy Brief No. 05: The Long Way of the Emerging Ombudsman Institution in Bulgaria: Six Months Later

CSD Policy Brief No. 05: The Long Way of the Emerging Ombudsman Institution in Bulgaria: Six Months Later

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The present brief is aimed to examine the recent developments in establishing national and local ombudsmen in Bulgaria and is a follow up of Policy Brief No. 3 of May this year. The introduction of the ombudsman institution in Bulgaria on national and local level has progressed at different pace. On the one hand, the establishment of local public mediators (municipal ombudsmen) continued to gain speed and since May three more mediators have been elected. Thus, as of October 2004, public mediators are operating in seven municipalities, while in several others the election procedures are under way. Coalition 2000 through its Civil Society against Corruption Program continued to actively support and encourage the process. On the other hand, the establishment of the national parliamentary ombudsman is still pending at the National Assembly, which once again failed to elect an ombudsman. The second attempt did not succeed despite civil society pressure and its calls for a timely election of the national ombudsman through an open, transparent and nonpartisan procedure.

CSD Policy Brief No. 06: First steps of the Bulgarian Ombudsman

CSD Policy Brief No. 06: First steps of the Bulgarian Ombudsman

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Although with a considerable delay, the election of the first Bulgarian ombudsman in April 2005 completed an important part of the process of introducing the ombudsman institution in the country. A civil society driven effort from the very beginning, the establishment of the ombudsman is a result of the effective public-private partnership between governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations. The continuation of this partnership is now among the key preconditions for the successful development and operation of the newly established institution.

CSD Policy Brief No. 07: Development of the Second National Anti-Corruption Strategy for Bulgaria

CSD Policy Brief No. 07: Development of the Second National Anti-Corruption Strategy for Bulgaria

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: corruption;

On January 12, 2006, the Council of Ministers adopted a National Strategy for Good Governance, Prevention and Counteraction of Corruption 2006-2008. The document was part of the commitments made by Bulgaria in the field of anti-corruption in the context of its EU accession. The strategy was expected to be adopted and presented to the European Commission by the end of 2005. In the beginning of 2006 an inter-ministerial task force submitted a draft version of the strategy to the government but it revealed so many flaws that the government postponed its adoption. As a result, the task force invited the Center for the Study of Democracy to redraft the strategy.

CSD Policy Brief No. 08: THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE BULGARIAN ECONOMY 2006

CSD Policy Brief No. 08: THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE BULGARIAN ECONOMY 2006

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Bulgaria’s position in the world oldest and most comprehensive annual report on the competitiveness the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2006 of IMD (International Institute for Management Development) was presented several days before the European Commission report on Bulgaria’s readiness for accession. With the partnership of the Center for the Study of Democracy this year Bulgaria was included for the first time in the report, issued since 1989. The report ranks and analyzes how 61 selected economies create and sustains the competitiveness of their enterprises. It stands out among reputed international ratings with the predominance of more reliable statistical data over the qualitative (survey) data. The rating uses 312 indicators covering a broad spectrum of competitiveness, classified in four major groups: economic performance, business efficiency, infrastructure and government efficiency.

CSD Policy Brief No. 09: The Introduction of a Specialized Anti-Corruption Service back on the Anti-Corruption Agenda

CSD Policy Brief No. 09: The Introduction of a Specialized Anti-Corruption Service back on the Anti-Corruption Agenda

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Corruption;

On the eve of Bulgaria’s EU accession significant results in prosecution and punishment of high level political corruption are still outstanding. In this context, the idea for creating an independent specialized anti-corruption service again became a topic in the anti-corruption agenda.

CSD Policy Brief No. 11: The Future of Corruption Benchmarking in the EU

CSD Policy Brief No. 11: The Future of Corruption Benchmarking in the EU

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: corruption;

Reducing corruption has been among the priorities of most international institutions over a number of years now. In particular, corruption was a major preoccupation during the 2004 and 2007 enlargements of the European Union and continues to dominate the agenda of the initial period of Bulgaria and Romania’s membership. Not being in the core of EU’s acquis, anti-corruption was a relatively new matter to tackle and, in contrast to other areas of EU competence, it had little specific guidelines to offer applicant countries. Still, the significance of transparent and accountable government for the functioning of the EU internal market and the delivery of its core policies required that anticorruption be made one of the key requirements for membership. // In this process, the European Commission advanced its capacity to evaluate anti-corruption progress. Following an initial focus on adherence to international standards and acceding to major conventions, attention later shifted to meeting specific good governance targets. Member states have also contributed to understanding corruption and recommending action through the mechanism of peer reviews.

CSD Policy Brief No. 12: Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy 2007

CSD Policy Brief No. 12: Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy 2007

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

With the partnership of CSD this year Bulgaria was included for the second time in the world’s oldest and most comprehensive annual report on competitiveness, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 – published without interruption since 1989 by IMD (International Institute for Management Development). Bulgaria’s competitiveness was covered and ranked together with 54 other leading world economies. The annual rankings are a respected source of information for large international investors, but they also provide highlights to the public and policy-makers on the strengths and the weaknesses of the Bulgarian economy by focusing on four main factors: economic performance; government efficiency; business efficiency; and infrastructure—in science and technology, human capital, health, and education.

CSD Policy Brief No. 21: Investigation of Money Laundering: an Institutional Approach

CSD Policy Brief No. 21: Investigation of Money Laundering: an Institutional Approach

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Money Laundering; grey economy;

The latest research by the Center for the Study of Democracy reveals that the annual revenue from organized criminal activities and corruption amounts to more than BGN 4 – 5 billion per year. This amount only includes criminal incomes from trafficking and distribution of drugs, smuggling of cigarettes and other excise goods, prostitution, corruption (related to rigging of public procurement) as well as tax and VAT fraud. The above estimated amount of “dirty money” in the economy excludes revenue from other illicit activities, such as financial fraud, trafficking in cultural goods, as well as money generated by Bulgaria’s sizeable grey economy, estimated at 30% of GDP in 2009. In addition, the growing real estate market in Bulgaria made the country an attractive destination for laundering of large amounts from illicit revenues from Europe and other continents. The actual size of the inflows of “dirty money” into the country is, therefore, hard to estimate, as there are difficulties in assessing the amounts coming from abroad.

CSD Policy Brief No. 22: The Energy Sector of Bulgaria

CSD Policy Brief No. 22: The Energy Sector of Bulgaria

Author(s): Boyko Nitzov,Ruslan Stefanov,Valentina Nikolova,Dobromir Hristov / Language(s): English

Energy security in Central-Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region is fraught with risks. By virtue of its geography, Bulgaria finds itself in a difficult nexus, drawn into Eurasia’s contentious energy geopolitics and as a European Union member, involved in the Union’s fragmented energy policy and complex regulatory, energy efficiency and climate change objectives. That position is challenging, but it also presents decision-makers in Sofia with opportunities. The EU-backed Energy Community, of which Bulgaria is a member, seeks to foster regional cooperation in the Balkans and around the Black Sea, but is stymied by geopolitical questions such as Turkey’s EU membership prospects and Russia’s assertive energy strategy within the EU. On the other hand, Bulgaria is actively involved in geopolitics due to the country’s almost 100 percent dependence on imported gas from Russia through one pipeline, which forces it into seeking answers to the questions. Bulgaria imports about 75% of its primary energy resources (oil, gas, nuclear fuel, coal) from Russia.

CSD Policy Brief No. 12: The Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy 2007

CSD Policy Brief No. 12: Конкурентоспособност на българската икономика 2007

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

With the partnership of CSD this year Bulgaria was included for the second time in the World's oldest and most comprehensive annual report on competitiveness, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007. It has been published without interruption since 1989 by IMD (International Institute for Management Development). Bulgaria’s competitiveness was covered and ranked together with 54 other leading world economies. This year Bulgaria came 41st on the scoreboard, surpassing Italy, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, and Croatia among others. The position is an achievement in its own right, considering that the country is measured up against the champion nations setting the trends in the world economic competition. In 2007 Bulgaria has largely kept its position compared to the previous year, but its business efficiency has declined. Meanwhile, the country’s overall economic performance has improved.

CSD Policy Brief No. 58: Transparent Governance for Greater Energy Security in CEE

CSD Policy Brief No. 58: TRANSPARENTNA UPRAVA I ENERGETSKA BEZBEDNOST U CENTRALNOJ I ISTOČNOJ EVROPI

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Serbian

The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.

CSD Policy Brief No. 58: Transparent Governance for Greater Energy Security in CEE

CSD Policy Brief No. 58: GESTIONAREA TRANSPARENTĂ ŞI SECURITATEA ENERGETICĂ ÎN EUROPA CENTRALĂ ŞI DE EST

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Romanian

The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.

CSD Policy Brief No. 63: Extortion racketeering: the vulnerability assessment approach

CSD Policy Brief No. 63: Оценка на уязвимостта към рекет

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Extortion racketeering has long been pointed out as the defining activity of organised crime. It has also been identified as one of the most effective tools used by organised crime in the accumulation of financial resources and the penetration of the legal economy. Although in recent years this crime has not been among the top listed organised crime threats in the strategic EU policy documents, it still remains ever present in European countries. The seriousness of the phenomenon has been recognised at the EU level and the crime has been listed in a number of EU legal acts in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

CSD Policy Brief No. 64: Hidden Economy in Bulgaria: 2015 – 2016

CSD Policy Brief No. 64: Скритата икономика в България: 2015 – 2016 г.

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

In Bulgaria the high level of hidden economy undermines the economic development of the country and requires serious and persistent political attention. The unprecedented growth in the field of digitization of economic activities, the convergence between some of them, and the emergence of brand new services creates an opportunity for achieving a desirable environment, which may reduce the hidden cash flows and boost the economic development of the country. Comprehensive reforms focused on the functioning of the market mechanisms and administrative effectiveness are needed in order to promote the process of economic convergence within the European Union and limit the harmful effects of the hidden economy in Bulgaria.

CSD Policy Brief No. 96: Accelerating the Energy Transition in Bulgaria: A Roadmap to 2050

CSD Policy Brief No. 96: Accelerating the Energy Transition in Bulgaria: A Roadmap to 2050

Author(s): Martin Vladimirov,Radostina Primova,Mariya Trifonova / Language(s): English

Bulgaria has been caught between the EU’s net-zero carbon ambitions for 2030 and 2050 and the country’s slow democratisation and diffusion of renewables and energy efficiency. To develop effective policy measures, the Bulgarian government needs to draw evidence-based consistent decarbonisation pathways for each economic sector with annual targets for continuous monitoring. This is especially true considering that there is so far little connection between the government’s own strategic documents (i.e., the 2030 National Development Programme, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the National Energy and Climate Plan) and the EU’s long-term objectives for a low-carbon transition. This Policy Brief plots Bulgaria’s options along three scenarios with a 2050 horizon using an innovative decarbonisation transition modelling instrument, called The Calculator. It helps bridge the gap between the complicated integrated climate and energy models and the practical dilemmas of policy-makers preparing Bulgaria’s long-term decarbonisation strategy.

CSD Policy Brief No. 87: Youth Guarantee Take-up among Roma in Bulgaria

CSD Policy Brief No. 87: Youth Guarantee Take-up among Roma in Bulgaria

Author(s): Lilia Yakova / Language(s): English

The economic crisis of 2008 led to a drastic rise in youth unemployment throughout the European Union (EU), which continues to have effects a decade after the crisis. According to latest statistical data, by the second half of 2018 around 3.5 million people aged 15-24 within the Union have been unemployed. In response to that, in 2013 the EU initiated the Youth Guarantee (YG). According to a study by the Center for the Study of Democracy and World Without Borders, carried out in 2018 and 2019, the YG has low outreach among Roma youth in Bulgaria.