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• 2007_Re-certification
  

• Pro-active towards Businesses
  

• Green Tourism
  

• Monitoring Visits
  

• Corruption's DNA
  

• New LAG under LEADER to Be Formed
  

• Interesting Bulgarian Web Places
  

[2007_Re-certification] 10 municipalities - members of the Bulgarian Local Economic Development Partnership (BLEDP) applied for the renewal of their Ready for Business Municipality Certificate, as its term expired. In August 2007 the FLGR team evaluated the candidates and verified the technical compliance with the criteria.

8 municipalities proved to comply with the criteria: Vratsa, Montana, Stara Zagora, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Haskovo, Rakovski, Gorna Malina and Knezha. In September 2007 the team of FLGR awarded the municipalities with Certificates, and their municipal local economic development specialists also. The Certificates are effective September 1, 2007 - September 1, 2010.

FLGR offers to your attention the topical list of municipalities with valid Certificates, as of September 2007:

I. Ready for Business Municipality with Excellence: Vratsa, Haskovo, Pleven, Strazhitsa

II. Ready for Business Municipality: Stara Zagora, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Montana, Gorna Malina, Targovishte, Aksakovo, Rakovski, Karlovo, Knezha, Plovdiv, Mezdra, Sevlievo, Svilengrad, Gotse Delchev, Kozlodui, Pravets. Teteven.

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[Pro-active Towards Businesses] At the 63rd International Technical Fair - Plovdiv (24 - 29 September 2007) the Bulgarian Partnership for Local Economic Development was represented by Dilyana Kundeva and Nadezhda Samsarova, FLGR. They contacted companies, interested in work in specific municipalities - members of the BPLED and attended seminars and working meetings, which were part of the agenda of the Fair.

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[Green Tourism] In the period 19 - 21 September 2007 in the town of Smolyan was held a discussion meeting on the topic "Preservation of the environment, sustainable development and green tourism popularisation in the trans-border region". The meeting was in the framework of the project "Biodiversity in the Rhodopy Mountains - life under the ground and in the daylight" under the Phare Programme BG2004/016-782.01.03.03.06 "Sustainable Use of the Natural Resources in the Trans-border Region Bulgaria - Greece", carried out jointly by Municipality of Smolyan, Tourist Association "Moursalitsa" and FLGR - Branch Smolyan.

At the meeting the green tourism map on the both sides of the border was outlined and the possibilities for green tourism in the municipalities of Smolyan and Roudozem were presented.

The programme also included presentation of green tourism best practices from the Prefecture of Xanthi, Greece (LAUX), and the protected areas in the Prefecture of Xanthi. The connection of the green routes, the joint planning and popularisation were discussed at the meeting.

At the end of the event a working group was formed to elaborate a Plan for green tourism development in the trans-border region.

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[Monitoring Visits] In the period 10 - 14 September 2007 Mr. Brede Kristensen, transForma coordinator for the Improving Bulgarian Local Government Integrity Project, visited the 10 municipalities in which the project is to be implemented by transFORMA, NGO Links and Foundation for Local Government Reform: Veliko Turnovo, Kozlodui, Kardzhali, Mezdra, Montana, Pazardzhik, Panagyurishte, Sliven, Sofia and Stara Zagora.

Meetings with the local coordinators were carried out and the follow-up implementation steps of the project were discussed.

The project (2007 - 2009) is funded by MATRA.

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[Corruption's DNA] Corruption's DNA C =M +D - A [Corruption (C) equals monopoly power (M) plus discretion by officials (D) minus accountability (A)] was presented on 27 September 2007 at the Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency, Sofia, where Foundation for Local Government Reform conducted a public discussion on the topic "New ideas and practical approaches in the field of anti-corruption".

The focus of the discussion was the training manual "Restore the Health of Your Organization - a Practical Guide to Curing and Preventing Corruption in Local Governments and Communities", by Fred Fisher, Ana Vasilache and Nicole Rata, issued in Bulgarian by FLGR.

Representatives of media, regional associations of municipalities, NGOs, experts from regional administrations and the National Assembly took part in the forum. The discussion was facilitated by Ginka Kapitanova, Executive Director of FGR, and Rossitsa Raycheva, project coordinator.

The proposed by the guide strategic approach for a planned change in the field of curing and preventing corruption at local level was discussed.

This Practical Guide will be disseminated among political parties, newly elected mayors and officials in the Local Elections '2007 and interested NGOs in Bulgaria.





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[New LAG under LEADER to Be Formed] FLGR Consult will support the process of establishment of LEADER Local Action Group (LAG) and the development of its local strategy on the territory of the municipalities Lyaskovets, Zlataritsa and Strazhitsa.

The process starts in the beginning of October 2007 on the initiative of the three municipalities and will continue several months. The fundamental work principle is the broad information of the representatives of different social, civic, economic and non-governmental partners, involvement in every step of the process of consultation and elaboration of the strategy; discussions in the towns and villages for problem, need and vision identification, that are to found their place in the Development Strategy of the three municipalities.

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[Interesting Bulgarian Web Places]
Night of Museums and Galleries
On 28 September 2007 Plovdiv will host the third edition of the Night of Museums and Galleries. Joining in this time will be the cities of Stara Zagora and Pazardjik. Over 70 museums and galleries in the three cities will participate, with more than 200 art events.

The European Information Centre - Veliko Tarnovo
The Centre works actively with the local and regional authorities, the NGO's in North Bulgaria and it develops a great number of projects - international, national and regional. The Center has created its personal information network in the different oblast centers of Bulgaria and opened information points in Ruse, Silistra, Lovech, Gabrovo, Targovishte, Razgrad, Pleven, Dobrich, Sliven.

Civil Environmental Gateway to Bulgaria
A place to post and obtain information about domestic and international environmental news, events, campaigns, activities, and projects.

Bulgarian teachers at strike - photogallery
Bulgarian teachers from across the country walked off the job demanding higher wages and increased government spending on education. Teachers demand a 100% pay rise starting from next year, and an allocation of at least 5% of the country's GDP for education. Despite discrepancy in the figures released by the trade unions and the education ministry about the strike, it has wreaked havoc at schools across Bulgaria at the very beginning of the academic year.

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