ISSUE No. 5/1999
Development Of Public Participation At The Local Level In Central and East European Countries (CEECs)
by Belin Mollov, Borrowed Nature Association
On April 16, 1999, a concluding conference on the implementation of the Development Of Public Participation At The Local Level in CEECs Project, financed by the European Fund for Freedom of Expression and the Phare Democracy Programme, was held in the Congress Center of Rodina Hotel in Sofia. The conference reviewed the implementation of the project in 15 municipalities in Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova. On the Bulgarian side in the project participated representatives of the local governments and civil organizations from the municipalities of Gabrovo, Lovech, Ihtiman, Assenovgrad and Velingrad. They shared with their colleagues from Romania and Moldova their achievements and the problems they had encountered in building lasting connection and partnership during the implementation of concrete municipal projects in 1998. Conference participants included Jacques Mallet, founder and President of the European Fund for Freedom of Expression (Fond Europйen pour la Libertй d'Expression - FELE), Claude Cassagrand, project manager for the three countries and member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe, representatives of the French Embassy in Sofia and of the Delegation of the European Commission, as well as representatives of ministries, municipal associations and non-governmental organizations
In March 1998, the project "Development of Local Democracy in Central and East Europe" was launched in Bulgaria, financed by the European Fund for Freedom of Expression.
The project aimed at implementing initiatives, which would attract participation of the citizens and of civil associations in municipal activities. The project was implemented in three countries: Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania. In each of these countries, five municipalities were selected on the basis of the following criteria: size, social and demographic composition, geographical location, political affiliation of the municipal leadership, dynamic municipal activities including initiatives beyond the scope of the municipality, readiness on the part of the mayors and the municipal administration to freely implement the project in their communities, together with different civil organizations The project aimed at improving the understanding, communication and joint work between civil groups and organizations, on the one hand, and local government, on the other hand, in their common aspirations to resolve priority tasks at the local level, and to overcome major social, economic and cultural problems. Its objective was to develop civil society at the local level by attracting citizen participation in the decision-making process. Project teams were set up to implement the objective, which used the principle of voluntary participation for the realisation of various activities on issues, chosen by the citizens, and in support to the municipal development program.
Borrowed Nature was project co-ordinator for Bulgaria.
The municipal administrations and civil organisations in Lovech, Gabrovo, Ihtiman, Assenovgrad and Velingrad expressed willingness to work on the project. According to the requirements of the programme, they could freely choose the topic of the project, which should be of interest to the citizens, identify a common issue, involve the citizens in the debate and make them work together with the local government. The themes that were chosen last year and further developed were:
Lovech: "System for improving information services to the citizens and promoting public participation in local self-government";
Gabrovo: "Establishment of neighborhood councils - Initiative for Action ;
Ihtiman: "Civil initiatives for setting up of a Healthy Diet Center for Infants and Children";
Assenovgrad: "Establishment of a municipal information center Bachkovo, as a center of environmental rural tourism";
Velingrad: "Raising the environmental awareness of the citizens in the municipality".
Following a discussion between representatives of the local government and civil organizations, the following project objectives were identified in Lovech:
Expanding the ways for access to information at the municipal council and municipal administration;
Public opinion survey on the quality of services provided by the municipal administration to citizens;
Creation of mechanisms for identifying the problems of the town and the municipality and effective involvement of the citizens in their discussion and solution;
Exercising civic control through the NGOs of the work of the local self-government bodies.
For the purposes of the project implementation, the municipal administration had the following partners: "Znanie" Society, the Association of Journalists, the Women's Democratic Union, the Bulgarian Association for Fair Elections, "Ekoglasnost" National Movement, the Young Lawyers' Association, the Municipal Information Center, the "Orpheus" Association.
_________________________________________
The European Fund for Freedom of Expression (FELE) is a European Association, registered in France and founded in 1978 at the initiative of two Members of the French Parliament - Jean-Marie Vallenberg and Jacques Mallet. The initiative was sponsored by prominent personalities, such as Eugиne Ionesco, Simon Veil, Ceslav Milosz, Pierre Pfimler, etc. Current priorities of the Fund's activities are:
assistance for parliamentarism;
transparency of the state administration;
development of civic organizations;
development of independent and trustworthy media;
establishment of a climate of confidence and tolerance in the new democracies;
protection of human rights;
protection of minority rights.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Borrowed Nature is a Bulgarian non-governmental organization, which was founded in March 1992. Its members are united by the understanding that the present generation must preserve the environment for the benefit of the next generation. The association's principal objectives are: raising the awareness of the individuals that they must defend their right to live in a healthy environment; promoting civic participation in the formulation of decisions concerning the environment and the democratization of society; development and promotion of environmental projects and actions; establishment and expansion of contacts with individuals and organizations throughout the world; effective information exchange, support for environmental educational programs and training of specialists.
_________________________________________
The following main project activities were implemented:
300 citizens were interviewed about the information they wish to receive from the municipal administration, and about the quality of services;
An information desk was set up with the municipal administration, taking into account the recommendations of the interviewed persons;
A round-table discussion was held on "Interaction between NGOs and local government", with the participation of 15 local civic organizations;
An agreement for cooperation was signed between 18 NGOs and the municipal council;
The activities of the Information Center were propagated through a local radio program called "In the hot chair";
An Advisory Board was set up.
The Gabrovo project was executed in the framework of one of the town's largest and oldest communities - the Bichkinya residential quarter. The local population considered that the neighborhood councils should consist of motivated citizens who could use concrete ideas, proposals and initiatives to achieve public participation in activities of local importance. The project emphasized mainly on promoting civic activities, diversifying the forms of individual participation in activities related to traditions, culture, welfare and environmental balance.
In its capacity as a non-political association of motivated citizens, the Neighborhood Council consists of well-known local citizens having experience and knowledge of different aspects of public life; persons from the same neighborhood - municipal councilors and municipal administrative staff; leaders of local institutions (the school, the church, the readers club, social institutions, the post-office branch), and firms.
The following main project activities were implemented:
Promoting civic initiatives for participation in the economic and cultural life, and reviving local traditions by popularizing the objectives and ideas of the "Initiative for Action" Neighborhood Council;
Joint work with the representatives of the media with a view to popularize the project activities;
Implementation of joint projects with the school, the readers club, the church board, the post office and the kindergarten, and partnership with the citizens of the communities of Belentsi, Proinovtsi, Negentsi, Kriakovtsi, Boltata, Ilevtsi, etc.;
Registration and re-establishment of the local readers club "St. St. Cyril and Methodius";
Opening a local office of the Social Welfare Directorate and carrying out of a charity effort in favor of the poor in the community;
Setting up of a Steering Committee for the restoration of the native house of Prof. Mincho Minchev, world famous violinist, and for establishing a children's music school there;
Publishing of a brief history of the Bichkinya community - a patriotic undertaking, which recalls that in the beginning of the 20th century, there were 20 factories, 50 workshops and 45 shops in that area.
The inhabitants of the Municipality of Ihtiman chose an interesting topic. The project was oriented to representatives of the municipal council and the municipal administration, civic organizations - the Bulgarian Women's Union in the first place, the school board, private businesses, local media and the citizens, including minority groups.
The following main project activities were implemented:
Public opinion survey on the need to build a children's healthy diet center, and on the center's structure, functions and objectives;
Launching a hot-line for opinions and recommendations by the citizens on issues related to nourishment and raising of infants and children;
Organizing a public debate on "Interaction between civic organizations and local self-government";
Organizing media events and publication of a brochure on the outcome of the project.
The project in the Municipality of Assenovgrad was implemented with the participation of the local administration of the village of Bachkovo, the members of the environmental "Red Rock" Environmental Club; representatives of the municipal administration of Assenovgrad; representatives of private forms from Bachkovo, teachers and citizens. The project was launched by a campaign for acquainting the population of Bachkovo with the objectives and tasks of the project, which included radio broadcasts, local and national press coverage, meetings and discussions with all representatives of the civil society. An opinion poll was carried out among the students, the labor-active population and the retired, aiming at identifying the views of the different social groups about possible ways for social, economic and cultural development of the municipality in general, and of the village of Bachkovo in particular. The following activities of the Steering Committee were particularly successful:
Assisting the local population in reviving the past tradition of silkworm breeding;
Publication and dissemination of promotional materials on the possibilities for developing rural and environmental tourism in the region of Bachkovo;
Meetings and discussions with private farmers, willing to develop rural tourism, and acquainting them with the provisions of the Tourism Act;
Dissemination of information materials and instructions on family hotel business;
A seminar on "Sustainable tourism in the Rhodope region", organized jointly with the Bulgarian Environmental and Rural Tourist Association, the Association of Rhodope Municipalities (ARM) and representatives of the local government and private businesses;
Two seminars on sustainable farming with the participation of the Agri-Biological Center at the Higher Agricultural Institute of Plovdiv, and farmers from the municipality.
Velingrad has excellent conditions for the development of tourism, forestry and spa treatment. These activities are closely linked with a concern for nature and for protection of the environment. The main objectives of the project there were:
Studying the popular opinion of the environmental risks on the territory of the municipality;
Intensive planning aiming at raising the environmental awareness of three generations in the town and the municipality;
Introducing mechanisms for mutual control of the local government and the citizens in the area of environmental protection.
The following main project activities were implemented:
Public opinion survey about the existing condition of the environment through a questionnaire and defining the theme;
Setting up of a working group composed of representatives of the municipality and of civic organizations;
Media presentation of the partners in the project, its objectives and tasks;
Launching of a permanent telephone line and a special P.O. box for suggestions and proposals by the citizens;
Organizing a course in solid waste management for students;
Organizing environmental tours for children of pre-school age; Publication of an ecological insert to the Chepinets Newspaper;
Producing a map of the environmental risks on the territory of the municipality;
Establishment of a Public Committee for monitoring the work of the municipal administration on environmental matters.
Direct project participants were municipal administration staff, all the councilors, representatives of the Open Society Club, the local branch organization of the Scientific and Technical Unions, the "Ekoglasnost" National Movement, "Nadezhda" Women's Movement, "Nachala (The Beginnings)" Foundation, the Charity Foundation, the Nature Protection Society and the Protection of Children Rights Society.
All the municipal staff members shared the opinion that the projects had succeeded in attracting the attention of a large number of local citizens and in creating an interest in partnerships with the local government. The most difficult problems, which were shared by all, were related to the raising of additional funds and to attracting local businessmen to participate in civil initiatives. There is a certain skepticism shared by certain groups, which has not yet been overcome. The local administration did respond to partnerships with civil organizations A very encouraging factor was the notable coverage of the projects' implementation by the local media. Most encouraging of all is the fact that on the basis of the accumulated experience large groups of citizens and municipal workers were formed, who had learned the power of success based on cooperation and mutual assistance. These people will search for new opportunities for joint work. Local project coordinators played an important role in the successful implementation of the projects: they acted as genuine local informal leaders, capable of guiding the others towards active civic behavior