The Bulgarian Technical Twinning Program Enters Its Second Stage

Ina Raycheva

Program Coordinator

Technical Twinning Program

After the successful conclusion of the pilot project, the Technical Twinning Program entered its second stage. It covers the period between September 1998 and October 31, 1999. Four new Bulgarian cities - Razgrad, Gabrovo, Blagoevrgrad and Dobrich - will have the opportunity to study closely the experience, successful practices and approaches applied by their American partners in local government, and to seek innovative solutions for their problems.

In October, the first three official American delegations visited their Bulgarian partners to get acquainted with the existing potential, resources, management practices, as well as with the major problems faced by the Bulgarian municipalities. In line with the abilities and the capacity of the American partners, areas of cooperation and guidelines for exchange of expert assistance were defined.

The first official delegation to come to Bulgaria was the delegation from the City of Brunswick, Ohio, which visited the Municipality of Razgrad. The delegation was headed by the City Manager, Mr. David Trimble, and included experts from the Economic Development and Financial Departments of the city, as well as one council member. The meetings and discussions held during the visit of the Brunswick delegation helped to define in advance two main areas of cooperation, namely: 1) municipal financial management, application of alternative methods and approaches, seeking alternative funding sources; 2) strategies for economic development and infrastructure planning in the municipality.

At the beginning of October, the second official visit under the Program took place. A delegation from Portage, Michigan, visited the Municipality of Gabrovo. The delegation was headed by the City Manager, Mr. Michael Stampfler, and included experts in economic development, privatization, human resources and citizen participation in local self-government. As a result of the numerous meetings, tours and active dialogue with representatives of the municipal administration, municipal councilors, business people and NGO representatives, the following areas for cooperation were defined: 1) the role of public-private partnerships in the economic development of the region; 2) citizen participation in local self-government.

The third official visit in October was of the delegation from Auburn, Alabama, to the Municipality of Blagoevgrad. The delegation was headed by the City Manager, Mr. Douglas Watson, and included the Assistant City Manager and the Economic Development Director of Auburn. The partners from Blagoevgrad and Auburn defined the following priorities for their future cooperation: 1) establishing a methodology for preparing a long-term development plan for the municipality; 2) improving waste-collection, disposal and recycling.

By defining the framework for future cooperation, the three Bulgarian municipalities and their American counterparts confirmed their willingness and commitment to establish partnerships for exchange of information, management practices and professional technical experience. In confirmation of this, the partners signed memoranda of understanding.

At the end of the visits, both guests and hosts were kind to participate in a survey, conducted especially for the readers of FLGR s newsletter. To summarize the survey results, we could share the opinion of the three American delegations: their visits to the Bulgarian municipalities have not only given them the opportunity to prepare the future work under the Program, but also to enrich their experience in different areas. Both hosts and guests were unanimous: the areas of cooperation have been clearly defined and both sides see their own place in the forthcoming cooperation.

All this makes us feel confident that the second stage of the Bulgarian Technical Twinning Program has a good start, and that the ultimate goal - strengthening the capacity of local self-government in the participating Bulgarian municipalities - can be achieved.