Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
Orientation - a step towards Europe
Bulgarian Agency for Regional Development
Background
Open Society Club - Pleven is one of the 13 clubs that are founders of the Bulgarian Agency for Regional Development (BARD). The Club develops and implements projects, seeks partnerships and funding in the following directions:
- creation of forms of active citizen participation in local government through information provision, permanent and sustainable feedback and publicity;
- establishing democratic practices in different areas of social life; - stimulating the development of education and culture as a pillar of democracy and civil society in Bulgaria.
Open Society Club - Pleven is one of the 13 clubs that are founders of the Bulgarian Agency for Regional Development (BARD). The Club develops and implements projects, seeks partnerships and funding in the following directions:
- creation of forms of active citizen participation in local government through information provision, permanent and sustainable feedback and publicity;
- establishing democratic practices in different areas of social life; - stimulating the development of education and culture as a pillar of democracy and civil society in Bulgaria.
Practice
The implementation of the national strategy for EC accession entitles the development of regional strategies for development and successful coordination and mobilization of local resources. Starting from this position, the Open Society Club in Pleven focuses on information provision for business entities in the region as the basic implementing bodies of the economic criteria for EC membership. Employers organizations in the region such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Trade and Industry Association, The Union of Citizens Economic Initiative and the Municipality of Pleven, also join in.
The first step is a two-day seminar in December 1999 aiming to define the image that Pleven businessmen have of the European Union and their knowledge about its structures, functions, tasks and forms of assistance. Of great interest are the results of the survey carried out at the start of the workshop:
- one third of the surveyed participants associate the European Union with something positive ;
- one fourth obtain information about the EU structural fund programmes for Bulgaria (100 % associate the EC with something negative , while 17 % with Economy ).
It can be concluded that the unfamiliarity about the European Union exceeds the knowledge about it. None of the surveyed is familiar with the pre-accession funds and programs of the European Union. Businessmen consider it useful for them to be informed about:
- the EC functions, aims and tasks (85 %);
- about the EC structure and decision making bodies (77 %).
The impact of the EC decisions on business varies among the surveyed but on the whole it is positive. Regardless of the differences in expectations about the situation in the country, businessmen are unanimous about the fact that Bulgaria s accession to the EU will affect their businesses in a positive way (92 % of the surveyed) and that even the start of negotiations for membership will create favourable conditions for the business (79 %).
The materials presented on the workshop topic (nature and structure of the European Union, sources for funding of agriculture, medium and small enterprises) are available at the Open Society Club office in Pleven.
On 28 January 2000 a second seminar was conducted entitled Pleven - Economic Development - European Union , with participating businessmen from the region, representatives of nongovernemntal organizations working on local development issues and economic prosperity, and representatives of municipal and regional administration. The information exchange goes two ways:
- economic criteria set by the European Union as a condition to Bulgaria s accession;
- the economic development of Pleven region and the key aspects of its Regional Development Plan developed in 1999.
The recently established Agency for Regional Development of the Central North Region was presented a the seminar. In its essence the workshop shows a form of creative cooperation between local and regional authorities, local economic entities and the nongovernmental sector, aiming to attain a positive economic and social effect for the region.
The implementation of the national strategy for EC accession entitles the development of regional strategies for development and successful coordination and mobilization of local resources. Starting from this position, the Open Society Club in Pleven focuses on information provision for business entities in the region as the basic implementing bodies of the economic criteria for EC membership. Employers organizations in the region such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Trade and Industry Association, The Union of Citizens Economic Initiative and the Municipality of Pleven, also join in.
The first step is a two-day seminar in December 1999 aiming to define the image that Pleven businessmen have of the European Union and their knowledge about its structures, functions, tasks and forms of assistance. Of great interest are the results of the survey carried out at the start of the workshop:
- one third of the surveyed participants associate the European Union with something positive ;
- one fourth obtain information about the EU structural fund programmes for Bulgaria (100 % associate the EC with something negative , while 17 % with Economy ).
It can be concluded that the unfamiliarity about the European Union exceeds the knowledge about it. None of the surveyed is familiar with the pre-accession funds and programs of the European Union. Businessmen consider it useful for them to be informed about:
- the EC functions, aims and tasks (85 %);
- about the EC structure and decision making bodies (77 %).
The impact of the EC decisions on business varies among the surveyed but on the whole it is positive. Regardless of the differences in expectations about the situation in the country, businessmen are unanimous about the fact that Bulgaria s accession to the EU will affect their businesses in a positive way (92 % of the surveyed) and that even the start of negotiations for membership will create favourable conditions for the business (79 %).
The materials presented on the workshop topic (nature and structure of the European Union, sources for funding of agriculture, medium and small enterprises) are available at the Open Society Club office in Pleven.
On 28 January 2000 a second seminar was conducted entitled Pleven - Economic Development - European Union , with participating businessmen from the region, representatives of nongovernemntal organizations working on local development issues and economic prosperity, and representatives of municipal and regional administration. The information exchange goes two ways:
- economic criteria set by the European Union as a condition to Bulgaria s accession;
- the economic development of Pleven region and the key aspects of its Regional Development Plan developed in 1999.
The recently established Agency for Regional Development of the Central North Region was presented a the seminar. In its essence the workshop shows a form of creative cooperation between local and regional authorities, local economic entities and the nongovernmental sector, aiming to attain a positive economic and social effect for the region.
Results
- Conducting two seminars - December 1999 and January 2000;
- Conducting surveys;
- Dissemination of information at local level in the form of informational and consultancy services, public events and continuous interaction with the media;
- Exchange of experience and methodology sharing for the multiplication of the best practices in the network, with the aim of strengthening democracy and civil society in Bulgaria.
- Conducting two seminars - December 1999 and January 2000;
- Conducting surveys;
- Dissemination of information at local level in the form of informational and consultancy services, public events and continuous interaction with the media;
- Exchange of experience and methodology sharing for the multiplication of the best practices in the network, with the aim of strengthening democracy and civil society in Bulgaria.
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