Transparency International-Bulgaria has gained significant experience in developing and testing techniques for independent anti-corruption monitoring in a range of areas. The main thrust in the work of the Association is focused on the issues of designing and implementing mechanisms for preventive monitoring and civil society control of:
Promoting Transparency in Election Campaign Financing in BulgariaThe project is an one-year initiative which has been carried out with the financial support of the Democracy Commission at the USA Embassy in Sofia.
The primary goal of the project is to promote integrity in political financing and to increase the level of integrity of the democratic process in general. By implementing the project objectives TI-Bulgaria aims to propose a comprehensive approach, including new forms of promoting transparency in political life through the implementation of a new mechanism for monitoring political financing – the Integrity Pact concept. Other specific objectives include promoting effective dialogue between civil society and political actors in discussing effective rules, mechanisms and standards for political financing process.
The project has three major activity lines: 1) Monitoring of the 2006 Presidential Election Campaign; 2) Awareness building campaign; 3) Capacity-building for local non-governmental organizations and media.
The envisaged Monitoring of the 2006 Presidential Election Campaign includes the following activities:
• Conducting a social survey measuring the public opinion concerning the level of transparency and accountability of the 2006 Presidential Election Campaign;
• Media monitoring of scandals in the 2006 Presidential Election Campaign;
• Creating a model for Integrity Declarations;
• Independent civil society monitoring over the financial documents of the election campaigns of the contestants;
• Elaborating of an Index for Transparency of the Presidential Elections Financing 2006.
The Challenge of Confronting Political Corruption: Promoting Transparency and Integrity
This project is funded by the European Union. The project aims at creating a system for monitoring and assessment of behavioral patterns of political corruption in Bulgaria; establishing public consensus about the cost of political corruption and the need for undertaking joint actions for reducing its scope, as well as building capacity for development and implementation of effective mechanisms among representatives of the political elite. The target groups include representatives of the political elite, civil society representatives and media. The overall duration of the project is 20 months and it includes: a legal comparative study, an elaboration of Index for transparency of parliamentary elections, design of training methodology and a training course for the target groups.Program for Promoting Integrity in Political Party Financing in Bulgaria
The project was carried out in April 2002-April 2003 with the financial support of the Westminster Foundation of Democracy. It aimed to comprise political institutions and civil society organizations, employees of the Bulgarian Accountancy Chamber as well as media representatives who were involved into special training sessions. As a result of the Program realization an independent expert assessment of the level of transparency and accountability of party financing in Bulgaria was elaborated, and practical guidelines for its improving were suggested. The Project expert team designed an Index for Transparency of Political Party Financing on the basis of Monitoring Methodology tested within the Presidential Election Project 2001. The Index was presented at an International Seminar on Political Party and Election Campaign Financing (4-6 April 2003 in Borovetz, Bulgaria).
Monitoring and Evaluation of the Public Auction for the Granting, Maintaining and Utilization of the Second GSM License in Bulgaria
This project started in November 2001 at request by the State Telecommunications Commission. It cooperated at the elaboration of the monitoring methodology, having in mind the aim – to diminish the public distrust and to increase the confidence of the local and international investors. The monitoring divided into several stages: Research stage with analysis of the national and international telecommunication legislation; Direct monitoring stage with formation of international project expert group; Applicable stage with interviews with the representatives of the five admitted companies for gathering feedback information. This approach resulted in achieving the goals set up. After this success, in June 2001, the TI-Bulgaria was invited to monitor the organization and holding of the public auction for granting of a license for the construction, maintenance and operation of a network for digital TV transmission in the district area of Sofia.
Civil control over the work of court experts
The initiative “Civil control over the work of the court experts” was conducted in the period November 2005 – July 2006 with the financial support of the Judicial Strengthening Initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
A major task of the project has been the elaboration of comprehensive analyses on the deficiencies in exercising control over the work of court experts. Another major aim has been the development on the basis of the conducted analyses of a set of ethical standards for the work of court experts and a model for their successful implementation within the practice of the courts.
The implementation of the project included the elaboration of a legal analysis, aiming at identifying and investigating the gaps and loopholes in the Bulgarian legislation, regulating the work of court experts, as well as assessing the effectiveness of the existing mechanisms for control and liability of court experts. Second, there was conducted a sociological survey, aiming at analyzing the tendencies in the existing public opinion, concerning the level of transparency in the work of court experts and, as well as the problems, concerning their selection and control.
The agenda of the National round table, held on the 22 June 2006, included discussions on the results of the conducted surveys, as well as presentations of the viewpoints and positions of the two main target groups – the professional associations of court experts and the courts. The main discussed topics have been the problems in observing professional and ethical standards in the work of court experts, and also the existing level of cooperation between their representatives during selection and control over the work of court experts.
Direct result of the implementation of the project has been the elaboration and dissemination of the publication “Court Experts in Bulgaria – ethical standards and mechanisms for control over their activity”, containing reports on the conducted surveys, a set of recommendations for adopting ethical standards in the work of court experts, a model for effective partnership and control over the work of the court experts and positions, opinions and recommendations, made during the conduct of the National round table.
Building Capacity of the National Prosecution Office in the Context of Curbing Corruption
The initiative was carried out during the period November 2003 - October 2005 with the financial support of the British Embassy in Sofia. This project has been focused on the National Prosecution Office because of its crucial role in preventing and prosecuting corruption in the country. The project aimed to support the National Prosecution Office when identifying the actual problems in the fight against corruption in view of improving the existing procedural rules, and identifying an effective model for increasing the transparency and efficiency in the investigation of cases of corruption. The main project objectives were: to identify the actual problems of the Prosecution office which hinder it from successful counteraction of corruption; providing analytical (legal and sociological) research and on-going debate in order to make the prosecutors speak about their actual problems; suggesting working mechanisms for effective implementation of the anti–corruption legislation when prosecuting crimes of bribery, trading in influence, bribery in the private sector, bribing of foreign officials; introducing foreign experience in achieving transparency in the Prosecution Office’s work and increasing the level of efficiency in investigating corruption; encouraging cooperation between the National Prosecution Office on the one hand and civil society and the media on the other.
The Project was based on three main activity lines: 1. Needs assessment (comparative legal analysis of the best international practices in the context of curbing corruption, evaluation of the efficiency of the Bulgarian criminal legislation in view of the capacity of the Prosecution Office to curb corruption, monitoring of the work of NPO – sociological research of ten target District Prosecution Offices in order to identify possible negative practices and problems when applying anti-corruption legislation); 2. Alliance building (encouraging cooperation among Bulgarian prosecutors, foreign experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations, transfer of know-how trough conducting expert workshops, national round tables and conferences, establishing partnerships); 3. Capacity Building of National Prosecution Office in the context of fighting corruption (transfer of know-how, introducing best international practices for curbing corruption, identifying the best models of organizing the anti-corruption activity of NPO – development of Communication Strategy to increase the level of transparency in the NPO work, development of Strategy for Strengthening the Capacity of the Prosecution Office in Fighting Corruption improve the National Prosecution Office capacity to curb corruption). As a result of the activity within the framework of the project 5 books under the series “Curbing corruption and the Judicial System” were published.
Strengthening the Public Confidence in the Judiciary by means of Promoting an Ethics Code of the Judicial Administration Officials
The project was implemented in the period May 2001- June 2002 in two pilot Regional Courts in Sofia and Varna. Aiming at introducing mechanisms for internal control over the dissemination of corrupt practices and increasing the authority of the Judiciary, a content-analysis of the publications in the local press was made, focus-groups discussions were organized and civil reception-rooms were opened. The Project experts analyzed the national as well as the international legal system and recommended amendments in the Bulgarian legislation in tune with the international standards. As a final outcome a project for a Code of Conduct for the Judicial Administration Officials was developed and tested along with a training methodology for its popularization and practical introduction.
Assessing the Effect of the Introduction of Anti-corruption Policies and Practices in the Context of the Bulgarian Judicial Reform
The project has been provoked by the need to facilitate the creation of an effectively functioning independent and transparent judicial system in Bulgaria. In the course of four months (August-December 2004) the project concentrated on two main activity lines. The first included assessment of the effects and challenges of procedural reorganization provoked by the introduction of newly implemented anti-corruption policies for raising the effectiveness of court administration (implemented by a social survey in 4 district courts, a legal analysis and a national on-line survey). The second activity line envisaged the provision of an auspicious ground for discussing the results of the conducted surveys, including the located trends in public opinion, and creating concrete proposals for new policies and practices that are able to further facilitate the ongoing process of modernization in the work of courts (implemented by a national round table).
Brochure-Assessing the Effect of the Introduction of Anti-corruption Policies and Practices in the Context of the Bulgarian Judicial Reform
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(10KB)Towards Establishing Effective Partnership: Improving Citizen Participation in Anticorruption Initiatives at the Local Level
Aiming at encouraging the establishment of a network of civil organizations, offering an institutional support to NGOs in the city of Blagoevgrad for improvement of the anti-corruption climate at the local level, the TI-Bulgaria launched this project, completed in November 2004, with the financial support of the OGI/USAID. The major activity lines include thematic training seminars, developing an Index for Measuring the Transparency of the local anti-corruption environment designing a strategy for its improving. Among the outcomes expected we could foresee acquainting representatives of NGOs with methods and techniques for monitoring, increasing civil control over administrative bodies and improving the cooperation between NGOs, the media and judiciary in investigating corruption.
Monitoring of corruptive practices in the area of municipal property management and public procurement in Bulgarian municipalities
This Transparency International - Bulgaria project was implemented during the period January 2003 - January 2004 with the financial support of the Open Government Initiative DPK Consulting/USAID. Among the major project issues are deficiencies in the existing secondory legislation, high level of unawareness of the tools for citizen control and allegations of corruption in the municipal property management and public procurement. The project activities result in the development and provision of specialized know-how for monitoring corruptive practices and indentification of the major types of coruuptive practices and irregularities in the area of municipal property management and public procurement in Bulgarian municipalities.
Curbing Corruption and Promoting Transparency in the Work of Municipal Councils in Bulgaria
This project of TI-Bulgaria was launched in 7 Bulgarian municipalities in the period September 1999-October 2000 with the financial support of the Local Government Initiative of the Open Society Institute-Budapest. It aimed at identifying corruption-generating practices in the work of local authorities. The project fulfilment includes 3 stages: an analysis of the Municipal Council documentation and the local newspapers; a focus-group discussions with Municipal Councillors and community representatives for determing the target groups and spheres of competing interests; social experiments in resolving typical cases in three of the selected municipals. As an outcome a Policy Paper and a Handbook comprising analytical material, suggestions for amending the Rules and Precedures of Municipal Councils' functioning and for public feedback, as well as the necessary steps to be taken by the citizens to get involved into the process of formulation and implementation of local policies.
Civic Charter on Reaction against Corruption
The aim of this TI-Bulgaria project was to resolve the problem with the citizens’ idle approach to curbing corruption, stressing on mobilizing the efforts of specific social groups to set up a civic network for preventing corruption offence. The project took place in the municipalities of Vidin and Russe in October 2000-October 2001 with the financial support of the European Commission PHARE Program and the kind cooperation of the Civil Society Development Foundation in Bulgaria. After specific activities carried out the parameters for elaborating a Code of Ethics were outlined as well as the civil involve-ment has increased, the social intolerance to corruption practices has raised and a higher commitment on the part of public officials in implementing their functions has been achieved. The project outcomes are entirely set out in the published final Policy Paper.
Brochure-Project "Monitoring of corruptive practices in the area of municipal property management and public procurement in Bulgarian municipalities"
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Program for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Financing of the Presidential Electoral Campaign in Bulgaria 2001
This 2-month project was launched after the invitation by the Initiative Committee of Mr.P.Stoyanov and Mrs.N.Kutzkova that TI-Bulgaria should act as an independent, non-partisan civil society organization to conduct the monitoring of the financing of their electoral campaign. TI-Bulgaria elaborated an unprecedented for Southeast Europe program for independent civil control over the fundraising process, the donations and the expenditures within the electoral campaign. A group of eminent national experts prepared an adapted version of the Integrity Pact model – the Integrity Declaration, an Applied Monitoring Methodology with the necessary steps for day-to-day monitoring over the legality of incomes; a Steering Committee was established, consisting of civil society organizations representatives, and the regular information submitted to the broader public contributed for raising the public awareness.
Assistance of Business Starters /SMEs for Fighting and Overcoming Corruption/
This project was carried out in the period July 2000- September 2001. On the basis of in-depth study of starters’ and businessmen’ perception of corruption, which is an obstacle for business, a business ethics codes were elaborated. The project launched triggering public debate, challenging the administrative bottlenecks and preparation and promotion of new academic course “Business ethics”. The acceptance of Business Ethics Codes by business starters would promote high standards of business integrity. Furthermore another result expected is to provide leverage to require Bulgaria’s government to take reciprocal actions in improving administrative procedures. It was also submitted a course for distant learning on business ethics for several Bulgarian Universities.
Since its establishment, Transparency International-Bulgaria has published the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International annually, and since 2003 it releases also the Global Corruption Barometer.
On the basis of TI's methodology, Transparency International-Bulgaria developed Bulgaria's first Index of Transparency in the Funding of Political Parties.
At the same time, the Association set up and it maintains the first ever Anti-Corruption Resource Centre in Bulgaria. The purpose of the Centre is to provide information and literature on issues related to the prevention of and counteraction to corruption in the area of government, public administration, legislation, political and economic life.
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Determining Actual and Potential Hypothesis of Conflict of Interests in the State Administration in Bulgaria
This project was launched in October 2002 within the structures of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy as well as in 6 regional administrations (Sofia, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Varna, Vratza and Veliko Tarnovo). Aiming at limiting the manifestations of conflict of interests hypothesis in the work of the Bulgarian public administration bodies, a research methodology for analyzing such manifestations was elaborated. Furthermore the EU and other relevant international legislation was analyzed and a sociological survey on the public perception for the effectiveness of the conflict of interests regulation. As a result a Catalogue of Effective Legal Mechanisms for limiting the possibilities of conflict of interests manifestation in the work of the state administration was elaborated and a training course with administration officials for recognition and counteraction of the conflict of interests problem.
Increasing Transparency in the Work of the Bulgarian Public Administration by Elaboration and Implementation of Conflict of Interest Management Policy
This project is funded by the European Union. Its objective is to support increasing the capacity of Public administration in Bulgaria for implementing the institutional and legislative measures for reducing corruption in its work (administrative services delivery, organisation of competitions for allocations of grants, etc.) and thus to increase the public trust in administration and the government institutions as well.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- To investigate and to point out the existing deficits in the acting legislation and the enforcement of the law regarding conflict of interest and the implementation of ethical standards;
- To increase the capacity of the Public administration officials and especially the high-rank (at national, regional and local levels) officials for the implementation of a consistent conflict of interests management policy;
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To elaborate indicators for transparency and accountability in the work of the Public administration as a reliable tool for assessing the implementation of new mechanisms and practices for better management of conflict of interests in Public administration.
Promoting Transparency through Advocacy: The Challenge of Counteracting Corruption
The project started in August 2006 with the kind support of the "Trust for Civil Society in Central & Eastern Europe". The main goal of the project is to contribute to limiting the risk of embezzlement of public resources and harming major public interests by improving the level of transparency and civil society monitoring capacity in awarding and implementing public contracts in Bulgaria. The project includes elaboration of methodology for monitoring and assessment of public procurement, as well as legal analysis of the legislation regulating the public procurement procedures. Another aspect of the project includes case studies of specific procurement procedures. At the end of the project period, a public forum on the issue will be organized, where a handbook for monitoring and assessment of public procurement, as well as the results of the conducted studies, will be disseminated.