The problems of disabled citizens appeared to be the priority in the social policy of Sofia Municipality . Non-for-profit organizations are real partners of the municipality in supporting and solving issues of those groups of people . Most of the organizations do not have in their disposal room or space to develop their activities on rehabilitation and social integration . In relation with this issue Sofia Municipality could assist and cooperate .

Having in mind that non-for-profit organizations functioning on the territory of Bulgaria are above 600 and most of them are seated in Sofia, it would not be possible to meet all requirements of applying organizations . In order to be objective in its decisions on provision of municipal property for such organizations, the Sofia Municipal Council would be at much ease in its work if it had a set of criteria in the process of defining requirements to be met by applying organizations .

The Community Council on Access and Integration within the Sofia Municipal Council was assigned a task to prepare a set of criteria for provision of municipal property to non-for-profit organizations working in favor of socially disadvantaged people. This has become one of the main priorities in the work of Community Council .

The proposed criteria were defined aiming at objective and advisable provision of municipal property for development of activities implemented by non-for-profit organizations in favor of disabled persons . Based on Art. 21, line 2 of the Local Government and Local Administration Act, representatives of the Community Council proposed to Sofia Municipal Council the following criteria to be met by the organizations applying for utilization of municipal property :

1. Non-for-profit organization should be registered under the Non-for-profit Legal Entities Act ;
2. Non-for-profit organization should have at least one year of activities to the date of applying ;
3. It should have implemented at least one project funded by a donor institution ;
4. It should not have used municipal property to the date of applying and should not have in its disposal any other private property, buildings etc., except in the cases when there was a requirement related to implementation of governmental national programmes ;
5. It should have annual programme with funding sources indicated in it ;
6. It should work on projects related to improvement of social environment in Sofia Municipality .

The criteria were discussed and adopted by the Sofia Municipal Council on 16 June 2003, and the implementation of the decision was assigned to the Mayor of Sofia Municipality

With the adopted criteria objectivity and transparency was established in the procedures, undertaken by the Sofia Municipal Council. Thus the trust in Sofia Municipality as a reliable partner of non-governmental sector in the city has significantly raised .

The process of preliminary discussions and adoption of the criteria before the session of the Municipal Council by the consultative body Community Council on Access and Integration - strengthened the civic element in delegating powers related to provision of municipal property on behalf of the local authority . Meanwhile a self-control mechanism on behalf of the non-governmental organizations, represented in the Community Council, was established .

The decision on the adoption of the criteria was a precedent in the work of Sofia Municipal Council, but the availability of such created a sustainable practice in the work of standing committees .