During the last three years, the work of the mayor and the municipal administration has been entirely directed towards facilitating citizens in receiving services from the municipality. The municipal administration has been computerized and supplied with Intranet and Internet. Establishing of electronic registers eased the work of the different divisions and departments, as well as ensured fast and productive communication with citizens, firms, and departments on various problems. The municipality opened a Center for citizens services and information. The quality of provided services was improved the work process became fast, precise and always on time. The municipal management reached the necessity of its own policy of quality, which could be provided only by the international standard ISO 9001: 2000.

The Municipal Administration walked a long way of developing the system. Personal motivation and contribution of each of the municipality employees were of great importance. It was highly necessary for the municipal management to be able to take responsibilities and handle their realization. The Municipal Council adopted Structural work regulations of the municipal administration, numerous statutes for effective work of the different departments, Regulations of the internal order and documentation circulation, etc. All these were the preliminary bases, without which the process could not had been started.

The Mayor of the Municipality officially announced the new system, so it could be understood, applied and supported by the whole municipal administration. The main goals of the maintaining quality policy were the following:

- responding to citizens expectations and needs of high quality administrative services for physical and juridical persons;

- conformity with the law in management of municipality property and local policies;

- effective work, transparency, and free of corruption municipal administration.

All basic processes, needed for the functioning of Standard ISO 9001: 2000, were developed in the system of quality management: Reference book of quality and six Quality procedures documentation management, quality records management, management of inadequate product/service, correction measures, and preventive actions. The Municipality established a Quality Council that meets at least once a month. At sessions, the counselors discuss the current state of the system and make suggestions that could improve the process of system maintaining.

The policy of maintaining quality includes real tasks and goals understood and followed by all municipal employees. All regulations are included in part 1 of the Reference book of quality. Especially important for achievement transparency in the work process is focusing on the clients. These are the citizens, local authority structures, and local self-government (there is a card index maintained); non-profit juridical persons (there is a card index maintained); physical and juridical persons implementing activity at the municipality and using administrative services; territorial divisions of the central administration of the executive powers (there is a card index maintained). There is also a card index of the partners of the municipality, Citizen Service Center with an electronic list of the incoming correspondence, a Book of opinions, suggestions, and complains; a Diary of the public discussions, a Diary of the media press-conferences; a Form for registration for meetings with the mayor. All requirements of the Guidance book of quality and the Quality procedures are followed by the team of the municipal administration and highly contribute to the effectiveness of the work process.

Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo was the first in Bulgaria to receive the quality certificate ISO 9001: 2000 that was solemnly given on the city holiday on May 22, 2003. Realization of the system introduced an order, responsibility, as well as transparency in the work of the municipal administration that is only in the interest of the citizens of the Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo.