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• Annual Report 2006
  

• FLGR started working on a new project
  

• Thematic innovative practices competition
  

• Dobrichka Municipality elaborates Local Development Strategy for the rural area
  

• Planning of the Local Economic Development of the Municipality of Letnitsa
  

• Interesting Bulgarian Web Places
  

[Annual Report 2006] The Annual Report 2006 of the Foundation for Local Government Reform (FLGR) was published.

It reports on the activities implemented within the period of January - December 2006.



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[FLGR started working on a new project] The project is entitled Improving Bulgarian Local Government Integrity and its goal is improving public quality and integrity standards and practice and developing anti-corruption capacity at the local government level, focusing on 'conflicts of interest and service conduct'. The project aims at starting a process in selected 10 cities. Anti-corruption capacity is essential to ensure accountability, responsiveness and, ultimately, legitimacy of the local government.

Duration of the project is May, 2007 - April, 2009.

Implementing organizations are:

- Stichting transFORMA (tF), assisted by the municipality of Amsterdam (Integrity Bureau).
- NGO Links, Bulgaria
- Foundation for Local Government Reform (FLGR)
- Centre for Liberal Strategies, Bulgaria (CLS)
- 10 municipalities

Activities are grouped in the following major categories:

a. Diagnostics: the information collected during the first research phase will be used to support the activities of this project; the EU standards will be adapted to the respective municipalities; the research process will be used to initiate a public debate on the subject.
b. Capacity Building: selection of participants and formation of the 10 local integrity groups (LIG), working meetings of the 10 LIGs, workshops on sites to work out action plans, know-how exchange visit to Amsterdam of decision-makers.
c. Training: there will be a training for the local coordinators at the very beginning of the project; One two-day session will be held for all the members of Local Integrity Groups in order to have consistency in the provided training given and opportunity to meet each other and exchange experience and expertise on their respective integrity issues. Training of elected officials as well as one for civil servants from the 10 municipalities will be held in order to be acquainted with the EU standards for public service provision, they will be presented with successful Dutch, Romanian and Bulgarian practices regarding the enforcement of adopted integrity procedures. In addition to the many above mentioned training sessions, training on the same subjects will be offered to trainees (civil servants) from the Institute of Public Administration and European Integration in Sofia.
d. Enabling Environment: will consist in regular press-conferences with local and regional media, in working out and publication of a Manual on best practices on local level, keeping in close communication with the municipalities. Finally, a one-day National Integrity Conference will take place in Sofia, as a final event of the project.
e. Project Organization: establishment and meetings of the Project Working Group, the Project Steering Committee, evaluation and reporting.

The project is funded by MATRA.

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[Thematic innovative practices competition] In the framework of LOGIN Program FLGR announced thematic innovative practices competition for local government professional and regional associations. The deadline for submitting practices is 8 June, 2007.

The winning practice will be announces at a thematic seminar in June 2007, and the winning organization will be awarded with a Certificate and a small financial incentive.

Awarding criteria for the best practice of local government professional or regional association will be:

- timeliness;
- originality' and
- best proportion of costs - results.

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[Dobrichka Municipality elaborates Local Development Strategy for the rural area] On 10 May 2007 in Dobrich has been organised the first public meeting, which is part of the initiative of Dobrichka Municipality to elaborate a Local Development Strategy for the rural area.

This initiative puts the foundations of a process, related to the wide information of the local communities within the municipality about the LEADER approach, as well as provides the possibility for all various stakeholders to present and discuss their ideas related to the improvement of quality of life in rural communities. The established LEADER Local Action Group is the driving force to the process of drafting the local development strategy and plays a key role in terms of informing, involving and mobilizing representatives from various social, economic, civic and public institutions and groups.

More than 70 people took part in the first meeting and the main focus in the agenda was the public debate and identification of the proposals and ideas of the participants, which could be part of the Local Strategy and which could help the improvement of the quality of life, the access to services by citizens, the possibilities for diversification of the agricultural activities and renewal of the villages.

FLGR is involved in the process of development of the Dobrichka Municipality local strategy.

The process will continue until the end of July, when the Local Strategy is supposed to be fully elaborated and discussed with the local communities and stakeholders.

For additional information: Marina Dimova, FLGR; [email protected]

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[Planning of the Local Economic Development of the Municipality of Letnitsa] A public discussion has been organized on 17 May 2007 in the Municipality of Letnitsa, which main objective was to present to the local community the draft Local Economic Development Strategy and reach consensus on the proposed priorities and measures to be implemented within the Strategy. More than 40 participants took part in the public hearing - representatives from the municipal management and administration; farmers; community development centres; schools; SMEs and business representatives.

FLGR Consult team presented the draft vision and strategic objectives of the Strategy and discussed in small working groups the proposed priorities and measures, originating from the results of the SWOT analysis.

The event has been organized within the "Planning of the Local Economic Development of the Municipality of Letnitsa" Project, implemented from FLGR Consult within the "Active Labour Market Services" Programme of the Ministry of Labour and the World Bank.

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[Interesting Bulgarian Web Places]
28 May, 2007: George Michael: Free Bulgaria's Nurses in Libya!
Widely described as the most impatiently awaited gig of the year in Bulgaria, the concert was part of George Michael's "25 Live" concert tour.
"The very special reason for being here tonight is to support the "You are not alone" campaign and free the five nurses and a Palestinian doctor jailed in Libya! And do it now!," George Michael told an exalted audience of fifteen thousand fans packed at Lokomotiv stadium. "Freedom" , one of his best written, produced and sung songs, put a logical end to the show with a plea for the release of the Bulgarian women.

Living Human Treasures - Bulgaria
UNESCO's program "Living Human Treasures" and its Bulgarian are aimed at avoiding future extinction. Bulgaria is a country which is lucky to have preserved its folklore culture in an ancient syncretic state - as an immanent unity of sounds, movements, verbal creativity, rites, etc.

Odysseia-In
A Bulgarian tour operator for adventure and culture tours: activity holidays, village life, culture, and nature.

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