Dear international reader,

We are happy to present you this second annual English edition of the Reform in Local Self-Government Reform Newsletter, published by the Foundation for Local Government Reform and prepared especially for you - our donors, partners and friends in Bulgaria, Europe and the United States. This edition offers a glimpse of current Bulgarian local self-government and local democracy development through a selection of articles from the twelve 1997 monthly editions of FLGR s newsletter, which is received by nearly 1,500 representatives of Bulgarian local government, state institutions and agencies, National Assembly, ministries, NGOs and resident international programs and agencies. Authors of the various articles are Bulgarian municipal experts and NGO leaders. In addition to the articles, we included information on two recent international forums, organized by the FLGR - an International Conference on Management of Cities with District Division and an International Conference on Citizen s Participation in Local Self-Government.

We sincerely hope, that this current edition will not only provide you with information, but also provoke your comments, questions and ideas, which we would gladly welcome.

Sofia,

April, 1998

Ginka Kapitanova

Executive Director

FLGR