RiskMonitor Launches a New Project on Corruption Prevention in Sofia Municipality

RiskMonitor Foundation in cooperation with Sofia Development Association (Bulgaria) and MEPCO (Czech Republic) begin the implementation of the joint project “Non-repressive Model to Reduce Corruption at Municipal Level - NORMCORM.” The project is co-funded by DG Home Affairs, Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme. The project period is May 2013-April, 2015.

The project aims to improve the existing practices for the prevention of corruption in the Municipality of Sofia and the district administrations, fostering a non-repressive approach in dealing with corruption behavior. It also seeks to enhance the professional competences of the municipal staff to develop and apply effective anti-corruption measures, in order to guarantee good government practices and the transparency of public spending. The main project activities include:

1. Creation of user-friendly and understandable Ethics Manual for municipal officers.
2. Production of comprehensive guide on anti-corruption practices and ways to identify and tackle them (Anti-corruption Guide).
3. Elaboration of a system of indicators to perform internal institutional monitoring, vis-à-vis the anti-corruption functions of the municipal administration.
4. Compilation of model annual monitoring report, based on the indicators.

Roundtable discussions with representatives of civil society, businesses, NGOs, media, are also planned. Specialized trainings for the municipal staff will also take place, including an experience-exchange event in the municipality of Prague.

Stay tuned for further information about upcoming project activities and events. A project site will be up and running by October, 2013.

For further information, please contact:

Nadezhda Bozakova and Nikolay Yanev, RiskMonitor Foundation, riskmonitorinfo(AT)gmail.com

Denitsa Lozanova and Alexander Politov, Sofia Development Association, office(AT)sofia-da.eu