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CSD Policy Brief No. 68: Monitoring Radicalisation and Extremism

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Over the last decade, radicalisation and extremism have become issues of particular concern for Europe. New risks of Islamist and far-right radicalisation have impelled the introduction of policies, the effects of which are only now being evaluated. As radicalisation that risks escalating into violence is more amenable to prevention than repression, having the capacity to detect early warning signs and trace the spread of extremist activity over time is critical. This brief outlines a set of methodologies for monitoring the risk of radicalisation and the trends in extremism based on an integrated approach to the indicators being monitored and the institutional mechanism doing the monitoring. These methodologies are designed to equip stakeholders – both governmental and non-governmental – with a tool which fuses a broad range of informational inputs; it will enable informed formulation of prevention and counter-radicalisation policies.

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PRIVATIZATION IN BULGARIA: a revolution that never happened, an evolution that is sweeping everything around

Author(s): Ivo St. Kovachev / Language(s): English

The purpose of this document is to present the changes in the privatization process in Bulgaria and to show how they have been brought about by the pressure of the economic reality. The privatization framework in Bulgaria was formed on the basis of theoretical approach, wish for political differentiation and narrow economic interests. This unfortunate combination did not reflect the specificity of the situation and could not long resist the economic needs of a country in restructuring. What followed was a long, slow and painful process of trial and error that could have been avoided if economic logic had more place in the first stage.

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Public Opinion on Foreign Investment, April 1993

Author(s): Daniela Bobeva,Blagovest Georgiev,Sasho Stojanov,Bojan Guseiev,Tihomir Bezlov / Language(s): English

Compared with the other central and eastern European countries - Hungary, Czech and Slovak republics and Poland, foreign investment turns to be a new phenomenon for the Bulgarian economy. Thus the public opinion on it is in a process of forming. The role of researchers, different studies, the mass-media and foreign investors, themselves, in inspiring public support and acceptance of foreign investment is of great importance. This will contribute to the success of investments that have been made as well as to their further attraction to the country.

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Социалната справедливост в пенсионното осигуряване

Author(s): Dimitar Ninov / Language(s): Bulgarian

This study is devoted to issues of social justice in pension insurance in Bulgaria - one of the most important areas of social policy and practice today and in the foreseeable future.

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Движение на капитали и плащания. Валутно-финансова политика и конвертируемост на лева, юли 1995

Author(s): Lubomir Christov,Alexander Mihailov / Language(s): Bulgarian

Monetary union is the final stage in economic and financial integration among countries, in the specific case analyzed in the present paper among the countries participating in the Treaty of Maastricht providing for the implementation of such a union as the ultimate objective of the convergence toward a unified Europe. Membership in such a union would require the adoption of a common currency and its circulation as a single legal tender (or the final and irrevocable pegging of exchange rates among the currencies of the participating countries), as well as the conduct of common monetary (including foreign-exchange) policy.

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Тенденции в общинската приватизация през 1996 г.

Author(s): Petar Vasilev Antov / Language(s): Bulgarian

The development of the municipal privatization process in 1996, despite its uneven pace and regional disparities, should be assessed positively. 2079 privatization procedures have been identified, of which 23 are for whole enterprises. The terminated procedures are 43. 121 contests for appraisers were announced. 2642 privatizations have been assigned. 2725 assessments have been adopted, some of which were awarded in 1995, 2575 privatization deals were concluded, of which 18 were for whole municipal companies.

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Свободното движение на услуги в политиката на присъединяване на Република България към Европейския съюз: обща характеристика на проблема, август 1995

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The removal of barriers to the free movement of services between the European Union and the Republic of Bulgaria and the approximation of the Bulgarian legal base to that of the European Union in the given sphere is a crucial issue of the accession policy of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union. This is due, on the one hand, to the importance of this free movement as part of the European acquis, to the fundamental nature of the freedom of movement of services for the completion of the European Union's internal market, and hence to the European Union itself.

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Човешки ресурси и социална политика в контекста на присъединяването на България към Европейския съюз, август 1995 г.

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Bulgaria's orientation towards the EU dates back to the early days of radical political changes in the country, which began at the end of 1989. Membership in the EU attracted mostly the high social standards in the member states, the transition to a single internal market allowing for free movement of goods, capital and people. The integration of the country into the European Communities was perceived as a means of rapidly resolving the internal economic and social problems we faced after the collapse of the totalitarian regime. The rapprochement and future membership of the EU was wished to be strong and in order to remove the trade barriers of the Union which we felt much more strongly after the disintegration of the former CMEA market.

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Проблеми на общинската приватизация, декември 1993 г.

Author(s): / Language(s): Bulgarian

In the broad sense, municipal privatization involves restitution, land re-lease, land and buildings sales, and privatization of municipal enterprises, the transformation of the ownership of municipalities into private, regardless of the form in which this municipal property operates economically. Although they are carried out under different laws, these processes are interrelated because they are carried out on a given territory, governed by local authorities, and lead to a restriction of municipal ownership at the expense of the private one. The general dissatisfaction with the privatization process in the country extends to the process at the municipal level. Although 475 privatization decisions were taken by the end of December 1993 and 374 sites were assigned, only 52 transactions were in effect. Few municipalities have made efforts to prove that legislation and regulations are a major obstacle to privatization.

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Общественото мнение и бизнес-елитът за приватизацията

Author(s): Alexander Stoyanov,Boyan V. Gyuzelev,Daniela Bobeva,Maria Prohaska,Spartak Keremidchiev,Stoyan Stefanov,Tihomir Bezlov / Language(s): Bulgarian

One of the most recently discussed - privatization - is increasingly out of the range of predictions and is becoming a reality. As the data from the latest study of the Center for the Study of Democracy on privatization issues shows, preparations for it are advanced: in 13% of the state-owned enterprises are currently under assessment, 22,.5% are analyzed and 10,.2% are included in privatization programs.

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CSD Policy Brief No. 11: Българският опит и измерването на корупцията в Европейския съюз

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

In recent years, curbing corruption is a top priority of most international institutions. The European Union attaches paramount importance to the problem of corruption in the two successive waves of accession in 2004 and 2007. The pre-accession process has prompted the European Commission to develop its own mechanism to assess the progress of anti-corruption reforms. Like many other key areas for the functioning of the internal European market, the development of EU anti-corruption policy has logically led to the creation of a single European methodology for defining standards for measuring corruption.

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CSD Policy Brief No. 12: Конкурентоспособност на българската икономика 2007

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

With the partnership of CSD this year Bulgaria was included for the second time in the World's oldest and most comprehensive annual report on competitiveness, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007. It has been published without interruption since 1989 by IMD (International Institute for Management Development). Bulgaria’s competitiveness was covered and ranked together with 54 other leading world economies. This year Bulgaria came 41st on the scoreboard, surpassing Italy, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, and Croatia among others. The position is an achievement in its own right, considering that the country is measured up against the champion nations setting the trends in the world economic competition. In 2007 Bulgaria has largely kept its position compared to the previous year, but its business efficiency has declined. Meanwhile, the country’s overall economic performance has improved.

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CSD Policy Brief No. 58: ПРОЗРАЧНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ И ЭНЕРГОБЕЗОПАСНОСТЬ В ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ И ВОСТОЧНОЙ ЕВРОПЕ

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Russian

The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.

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CSD Policy Brief No. 58: TRANSPARENTNA UPRAVA I ENERGETSKA BEZBEDNOST U CENTRALNOJ I ISTOČNOJ EVROPI

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Serbian

The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.

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Масовата приватизация в България, декември 1997 г.

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

For three years, it was discussed how to organize the process of mass privatization in Bulgaria and what model to adopt. An administrative option was chosen, following the example of the Czech Republic, and with the adoption of the investment privatization program on December 19, 1995, the mass privatization began in the country. Until the last moment of its beginning, the hesitation of whether it should have taken place in this version did not cease. Mass privatization has also become a field of political opposition. But when the process started, both pessimists and optimists took part.For those involved in mass privatization, the assessment of whether they made a mistake depends on the specific financial results. For the economy as a whole, the assessment of the effect of mass privatization can not be subtracted from the context of its impact on the main markets: commodity, labor and stock markets.

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Доклад за оценка на корпоративното управление в България: 2000

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The present report has the objective to provide an overview of the general framework and particular dimensions of the corporate governance in Bulgaria. It is published for the first time and the authors intend to continue its publication on an annual basis. In its present form, the study contains information thus far unavailable to the professional community and the media. The evaluations and analyses herein are the first attempt to outline the achievements and the problems in the field of corporate governance in Bulgaria in the years of transition. The authors of the report thus aim to encourage a wider discussion on the subject and that, as a result, practical improvement action will be undertaken. At the end of the past year the Corporate Governance Initiative conducted a pilot study for assessment of the corporate governance in Bulgaria. It is a part of the activities under phase II of the project aiming at the elaboration of recommendations for practical measures for improvement of the corporate governance, including diagnostics and analysis of the existing corporate structures. The survey was conducted by Vitosha Research and covered all listed companies with authorized capital over BGN 200,000. The sample comprised 268 companies, while the number of the surveys was 158. The research method applied is a standard interview with representatives of the companies' managing bodies and senior management. Based on the survey results, the first index of corporate governance in Bulgaria was calculated. The index has values between 1 and 5, the lowest value of 1 indicating unfavorable legal and institutional frame and internal organizational factors of the corporate governance, and the highest value of 5 - ideal conditions and good practice of corporate governance. The report has been prepared mainly on the basis of the results of the pilot study, compared and partially supplemented by conclusions and assessments of other studies, publications in the press and international sources. The report has been prepared by the following team: prof. Dr. Bistra Boeva, associate prof. Dr. Stefan Petranov, Dr. Vesela Stancheva, senior research associate Plamen Chipev, Diana Hristosova - senior expert, Center for Economic Development, Stoyu Nedin - Chairman of Association of shareholders, Dr. Maria Prohaska - coordinator, Corporate Governance Initiative.

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Енергийният сектор на България: основни проблеми в управлението

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The report analyses the major governance issues of the energy sector in Bulgaria, as well as the common energy crimes. It makes an overview of the 2020 Strategy and presents a recommended governance approach. The Bulgarian energy sector is key for the future development of the country’s economy. For the past decade energy exports and imports formed on average 12% (16% in 2008) and 21% (22% in 2008) of the value of the country’s outgoing and incoming trade flows respectively. Every fourth public procurement contract is concluded in the energy sector, making it one of the biggest taxpayers’ money spenders in the country. In 2008, in a single year, the Bulgarian government committed to energy projects, requiring budgetary investments equal in value to the whole EU funds support for the country for the current European seven year budget period 2007 – 2013.

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Актуализацията на бюджета 2013: прибързана, неясна и антисоциална?

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Budget revisions are usually a sign of economic instability and are therefore justified by two main reasons: a serious unexpected economic crisis and/or the introduction of vital new policies. The government’s declaration that the 2013 budget needs to be revised and the Prime minister’s explanation for this proposal in Parliament does not include convincing details related to the aforementioned reasons. The additional instability that this amendment would place on the economy, calls for careful analysis and consideration hasty of the possible scenarios in which a revision is necessary.

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Scénáře světové politiky 2012–2013

Author(s): Tomáš Weiss,Vít Střítecký,Lucia Najšlová,Petr Kratochvíl,Michal Kořan,Nik Hynek,Vladimír Handl,Rudolf Fürst,Jan Eichler,Mats Braun,Vít Beneš / Language(s): Czech

The document presents a collection of speculative scenarios for world politics in 2012-2013, employing a scenario-building method to enrich foreign policy debate. It discusses the potential impacts of various global and regional developments on the Czech Republic and the EU, including fiscal pacts, the role of Germany in the Eurozone, Central European dynamics, EU relations with Turkey and China, the aftermath of American elections, the Iranian crisis, the situation in Afghanistan, the Asia-Pacific region, and Russian elections. The scenarios are not precise forecasts but internally consistent hypotheses that connect actors with future effects, aiming to capture key dynamics and possible consequences of otherwise conceivable actions.

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World Politics: Scenarios 2012–2013

Author(s): Vít Beneš,Mitchell Belfer,Mats Braun,Jan Eichler,Rudolf Fürst,Vladimír Handl,Nik Hynek,Michal Kořan,Petr Kratochvíl,Lucia Najšlová,Vít Střítecký,Tomáš Weiss / Language(s): English

Scenario building was first introduced in the U.S. security community in the 1950s. In RAND projects, “scenarios” (with the term consciously borrowed from the Holywood film industry to emphasize their storytelling character) evolved into a sophisticated auxiliary means of political decision-making. The method was thus born from the spirit of the Cold War, yet soon it found its way into the private sector, where it has served to manage corporate risk. More recently, scenarios witnessed a rise in popularity also in the think tank community as outcomes relevant for policy makers due to their potential to bridge theoretical knowledge with the needs of political practice (early warning potential) and as a means of broadening and deepening the space for public debate about global politics.

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