UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, 7th Annual International Postgraduate Conference
Inclusion Exclusion
Saturday 18 February 2:30 – 4:00: Panel
K2: Regime and Government
Mina Shoylekova (St Klement Ohridski University, Sofia): ‘The role of
institutions in overturning social isolation in Bulgaria’
Despite of the fifteen years of transition the Bulgarian society seems to fail so far in performing its democratic rights and play an active part in policy-making. Opinion polls show substantial willingness of citizens to exert influence but very rarely this willingness is rationalised into active participation. What is more disturbing, surveys reveal that the economic problems and political shifts in the last decade have led to a structured social isolation in the country, which is in the same time a cause and a consequence from the low level of public participation. The geographically isolated are in the same time psychologically distant from power. Among the key reasons for this isolation from power are pointed out the centralisation of institutions, the "doubts in the prerogatives" of local government, the lack of knowledge among citizens which institution and how to approach.
The article intends to estimate the role of different government institutions in the last four years in creating a favourable environment for public participation. In result of the process of European integration and the harmonisation with the acquis a significant number of legislative changes have been adopted lately aiming at the establishment of working mechanisms for public participation in policy making. The majority of these mechanisms are focused at the local level of governance and intend to include local communities in making decisions about municipal development and environmental protection. Therefore the article examines the formal opportunities as well as the current practices of public inclusion in executive and legislative bodies at both national and local level and provides an evaluation of their effectiveness.
The article argues that in fact the central government is the most open and active in involving the public, while the Parliament and the local government which are expected to be closer to people have remained relatively inaccessible. The explanation for this shift rests within the fact that the central government is the most intensively "exposed" on the impact of EU integration. The state administration is closely involved in the introduction of European standards into Bulgarian legislation and practice. In the same time its work is strictly observed in the Regular Reports of the European Commission and there is a stronger demand for it to be open and apply the principle of participation in its work. Finally, there are a big number of special EU funded programmes in support of the administrative reform in the country and the state administration derives most of the benefits.
On the other hand the National Assembly have done little to modernise its rules and procedures. The proportionate representation in the national legislature demotivates the MPs to establish strong relationships with their constituencies and keeps them free from accountability. As for the bodies of the local government, they often excuse themselves with the lack of sufficient financial independence, but the real problem there seems to be the weak capacity to perform their functions.
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