News
Prosecutorial Assessment Leads to Policy Action in Bulgaria
After ABA ROLI published its Prosecutorial Reform Index (PRI) in Bulgaria, Prosecutor Velchev created the PRI Committee tasked with considering the recommendations of the PRI and soliciting feedback from prosecutors and other relevant actors in structuring a three-year strategy or “roadmap” of reform. Read more »»
Regional Criminal Justice Initiative Holds Training on Combating Organized Crime in Bulgaria
Between June 18 and 22, the ABA's Regional Criminal Justice Initiative (RCJI) held the 5th round of its "Enterprise Theory of Investigation and the Use of Sophisticated Techniques in Combating Organized Crime" training course at the National Police Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Read More »»
Programs
Anti-Corruption
The ABA's anti-corruption program provided commentary and analysis to a variety of non-governmental and governmental organizations involved in combating corruption and joined with local partners to sponsor a series of public hearings on key corruption-related topics such as procurement law reform, magistrate's immunity and the highly debated Ombudsman draft laws. The ABA also provided an advocacy grant and faculty support to the nongovernmental organization Access to Information to conduct a series of training programs for hundreds of municipal officials and attorneys across Bulgaria on implementing the country's Access to Information Act. Read More »»
Criminal Law Reform
The criminal law reform program in Bulgaria has focused on legislative reform and training to combat cybercrime, prosecutorial reform and assistance to combat money laundering. The ABA's criminal law reform program has also advised in the process of drafting and implementing modern criminal justice legislation, conducted comprehensive training programs for prosecutors, judges, investigators and defense attorneys, and worked to strengthen the operation of criminal justice institutions, such as prosecutors' offices, investigative bodies and professional associations. Read More »»
Legal Education
The ABA's work on legal education reform aimed to increase clinical legal education opportunities at Bulgarian law faculties and, in turn, increase access to legal services among disadvantaged groups. To this end, the ABA worked closely with the Legal Clinic Foundation, which operates two legal clinics in the city of Rousse that focus on family and succession law and administrative law and procedure, as well as a branch in Sofia that works on civil law matters.Bourgas Law School recently adopted the clinical teaching model as well as the Law Faculty at the University in Veliko Turnovo, both of which also receive financial assistance from the ABA. Moreover, the ABA provided technical equipment and legal literature to the law clinic at Varna Free University. Through the ABA's clinical program more than 100 students were trained and more than 1,000 clients provided legal assistance. Read More »»
Publications
- Bulgaria Judicial Reform Index (JRI), Volume III (April 2006). Also available in Bulgarian
- Bulgaria Judicial Reform Index (JRI), Volume II (April 2004). Also available in Bulgarian
- Bulgaria Judicial Reform Index (JRI), (July 2002). Also available in Bulgarian
- Bulgaria Legal Profession Reform Index (LPRI), (May 2006). Also available in Bulgarian
- Bulgaria Legal Profession Reform Index (LPRI), (November 2004). Also available in Bulgarian
- Prosecutorial Reform Index for Bulgaria (PRI), (June 2006). Also available in Bulgarian
Background
The American Bar Association began providing assistance in Bulgaria in 1991 and had a continuous on-ground presence until April 2007.
Through programs funded by USAID, the United States Department of Justice, and other donor organizations prior to 2000, the ABA held some 40 workshops/training seminars in Bulgaria, completed approximately 55 legal assessments on a variety of topics, with focuses on commercial law reform and training, judicial reform, legal profession reform, legal education reform, and anti-corruption.
With the support of the ABA, former staff members have formed a legacy organization, the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives (BILI). BILI continues to work on many of the same rule of law reform topics that the ABA worked on during its more than 15 years in the country.
The Bulgaria office closed in September 2006; Criminal Law program activities continue.
