DEMOCRACY BUILDING: SUCCESS STORIES AND BEST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SOFIA 001795

SIPDIS

AIDAC

FSI FOR LMS/SPS - MCMULLEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM BU
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY BUILDING: SUCCESS STORIES AND BEST
PRACTICES

REF: SECSTATE 182307


1. Democracy building in Bulgaria has been a lengthy
process with multiple dimensions. The USG has been
actively involved with different aspects of the reform
efforts and can claim excellent results and success in
many areas. There are two areas where the USG is a
pioneer in terms of providing timely assistance and
introducing good working models - local governance and
strengthening the central government's transparency.
These two success stories are a direct outcome of the
assistance efforts of the US Agency for International
Development (USAID) in Bulgaria.


2. Democracy building programs are also promoted under
two additional grant programs at the U.S. Embassy in
Sofia: Office of Public Affairs' program for Democracy
Commission Small Grants (grants under $24,000),and the
Peace Corps' Small Projects Assistance (grants under
$5,000). For details on how the U.S. Embassy
administers Democracy Commission Small Grants Program
in Bulgaria, see paras 10 and 11.

-------------- --------------
Municipal "one-stop shops" bring democracy closer to
the people
-------------- --------------


2. USAID works with local governments to become more
efficient, to improve local services, and to lobby more
effectively for their interests at the national level.
Work at the local level makes changes tangible for the
people and makes them the primary beneficiaries of the
reform efforts. Citizens' involvement in the decision
making process brings democracy closer to the people.
Local governments do that best when they open their
doors to the people and see them as their customers.
That is why a major element of USAID assistance to
municipalities has been the establishment of municipal
"one-stop shops".


3. USAID successfully supported the establishment of
37 Municipal Customer Service and Information Centers
in Bulgaria (municipal "one-stop shops"). The centers
have gained nation-wide recognition as an innovative
tool for achieving better quality of administrative
services, enhanced efficiency of the administration,
and increased transparency. In fact, these centers are
the first practical application of e-government in
Bulgaria at local level. These centers facilitate and
accelerate citizen access to many municipal services by
delivering effective services in an open manner. The
"one-stop shops" appropriately incorporate key
municipal administrative services, such as:
Registration of Documents, Citizen Registration,
Municipal Real Estate Property, Municipal Finance,
Labor and Human Resources, Business Activities and
Licenses, Local Taxes and Fees, Urban Planning and
Construction etc. Through the "one-stop shops" the
municipal administrations have also improved
considerably their information and communication
channels with the local community.


4. The initiative brought different benefits and
advantages for the different participants. The
citizens have enjoyed the friendly and business-like
environment of the new establishments and have gained
better access to information - catalogues of services,
information boards and flyers, information of other
institutions, municipal websites or portals, which in
turn has saved them a lot of time and efforts when
municipal services were required. In addition, the
"one-stop shops" have substantially reduced the
opportunities for corrupt practices, simply by
eliminating the direct contact between the person
applying for a particular administrative service
(license, permit, etc.) and the official who is
responsible for the provision of the service. The
municipal staff members have enjoyed the opportunity to
have sufficient time for provision of high quality
services and for improvement of intra-municipal
communications. The municipal leadership has benefited
from the more effective management of the municipality
and an improved public image.


5. Although fairly simple to implement in the computer
age, the "one-stop shops" were an entirely new practice
for the country. The successful launch of the
initiative in several municipalities was sufficient to
generate enormous interest among the local authorities
all over the country. Now, nearly one third of the 264
Bulgarian municipalities apply the concept in one form
or another.

-------------- --------------
Strengthening government transparency through a Public
Procurement Register
-------------- --------------


6. An efficient and open public procurement system
provides citizens and businesses with better access to
information about public projects and ensures that
public money is spent in a transparent manner. This
not only encourages better use of public resources but
also increases trust in the government.


7. For the past two years, USAID has supported the
reform of Bulgaria's public procurement system through
legislative drafting and technical assistance. To
support the development of a new Public Procurement
Law, a number of working groups, comprised of
representatives from ministries, the business community
as well as leading Bulgarian and international
consultants were established. After the new
legislation adopted in 2004 established the Public
Procurement Agency - a monitoring entity charged with
overseeing public procurement contracts - it became the
focus of USAID support. Assistance was provided for
the development of a common procurement vocabulary and
official forms for procurement announcements. The bulk
of USAID assistance was targeted at the development of
a Public Procurement Register.


8. The Public Procurement Register is a serious step
towards transparency, accountability and efficient
control over public sector spending. The Public
Procurement Register saves time and generates savings
in public spending. Finally, the Public Procurement
Register is a part of the GOB's e-government strategy
and as such it will ensure connectivity to the European
Commission (EC) procurement database.


9. Recognizing that the government is just one part of
the good governance equation, USAID has recently
stepped up its efforts to involve business associations
to monitor public procurement in particular sectors,
suggest legislative and implementation changes and come
up with company lists to complement the information
available in the Public Procurement Register. USAID
will thus continue to support Bulgaria's efforts to
improve governance and make government more transparent
and accountable.

-------------- --------------
Strengthening Democratic and Civic Involvement through
Grassroots Programs Implemented by Non-Governmental
Organizations in Bulgaria
-------------- --------------


10. US Embassy Sofia's Public Affairs Section (PA
Sofia) organizes an annual SEED-funded small grants
competition under an inter-agency Democracy Commission.
USAID, Peace Corps, U.S. Department of Justice, and
Embassy Sections for Political Affairs, Economic
Affairs, and Security issues are members of the
Democracy Commission. The members of the Democracy
Commission review approximately 250 small grants (under
$24,000) per year and approve a total of approximately
35-45 SEED funded and EUR/ACE approved grants (totaling
around $500,000 per fiscal year). The Embassy began
this program in FY 1994 with $200,000 per year, with
increases each year since then.

11. The Democracy Commission Small Grants Program is
designed to strengthen Bulgarian NGOs so that they can
develop grassroots programs which respond to the
communities they serve. PA Sofia conducts a country-
wide outreach program in Bulgaria to promote the goals
of the Democracy Commission program, including through
press releases, website-based application process, and
weekly consultations by CAO and Cultural Assistant. The
Program works closely with Peace Corps volunteers
assigned to Bulgarian NGOs, and relies on USAID's
expertise and input in the review and approval process.
Projects funded under the Small Grants program may be
of short duration (i.e. outreach to youth groups or
marginalized communities in advance of parliamentary
elections to help these groups understand their rights
as voters); may be pilot projects (i.e. developing
teaching materials for high school students to learn
about Roma folklore and local history); and/or may
build civic awareness between youth audiences and civic
leaders in small communities (i.e. waste recycling
project managed by students at three high schools in NE
Bulgaria).

LEVINE