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Bulgaria
>> Regional Overview >> Bulgaria Overview Activity Data Sheet
PROGRAM: Bulgaria
TITLE & NUMBER: An Improved Judicial System that Better Supports Democratic Processes and Market Reforms, 183-022
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $2,315,000 AEEB
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $2,350,000 AEEB
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1999 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2005Summary: This Strategic Objective is critical to the overall USAID/Bulgaria strategic framework of economic reform and democratic governance. The effective and impartial application of the rule of law is a key European Union (EU) accession criteria. This requires a knowledgeable, professional and independent judiciary. USAID's program includes both judicial training and court administration elements, as well as legal reform initiatives.
Program Categories include Rule of Law.
Key Results: The principal intended results for this SO are (1) a trained, professional and independent judiciary, (2) a sustainable indigenous training center for magistrates, and (3) improved court administration practices and procedures.
Performance and Prospects: In FY 2001, USAID proposes to obligate $2,315,000 for the continuation of the Support for the Rule of Law program in Bulgaria.
In less than a year, substantial progress has been made in the two major areas of assistance: (1) judicial training, including institutional and overall development of the Magistrate Training Center (MTC) and (2) court administration.
In 2000, USAID focused on the development of the MTC as an effective and sustainable institute, that is now the major provider of judicial training in Bulgaria. USAID has continued to provide assistance with management, operations, strategy and planning to the MTC to promote its long-term sustainability. In the past year, the curriculum has been tailored to respond to the specific needs of the MTC's target groups: judicial candidates, new judges, experienced judges, specialized judges and administrative personnel. By the end of 2001, programming will also target prosecutors and investigators. The center has greatly developed its capacity to deliver high-quality training and is already a well-respected entity by Bulgarian magistrates. Now in its second year of operation, the MTC has trained over 1,700 judges through a series of 57 courses on commercial, criminal and civil laws, significantly improving professionalism of judges. Young judges (less than one year of experience) received special attention. Training was delivered to 50% of them on procedural laws. At the same time, tailored court personnel training have also substantially enhanced the quality and professionalism of court administrative staff. Twelve Supreme Court judges and lower court judges became instructors in the program as a result of specialized training. The program is building a professionally trained in-house faculty for the MTC and has achieved impressive national coverage.
USAID is implementing a pilot court administration program with the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Judicial Council, the MTC and the judiciary. The pilot court administration program is ahead of schedule with four model pilot courts already underway. USAID plans to expand this program to include courts of differing levels, sizes and locations. The pilot court system has already enabled participating courts to function with exponentially increased efficiency. The non-judicial staff in these courts has assumed increased responsibilities that have enabled judges to focus on judicial as opposed to administrative tasks. In these courts cases are better organized; documents are maintained in a professional and orderly manner; tasks are clearly defined; systems are automated to save time and ensure uniformity; and physical spaces are user friendly for the public and convenient for court employees. In the aggregate, these changes serve as a model for the development of national court administration capacity.
In addition to expanding the number of pilot courts, USAID will focus its attention in 2001 on linking courts through an automated case tracking and management system. This will ensure much needed uniformity within the overall judicial system at a variety of levels, and it is an important component in the development of an integrated national system. This effort will be coordinated with USAID's ongoing assistance in promoting legislative and administrative reforms necessary to create a national court administration system. The creation of such a system is a long-term goal targeted for completion within the life of the project.
Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of this program are the Bulgarian judiciary and administrative court staff, through their own increased capacity and a better functioning judicial system. However, this program also clearly benefits society at large by increasing people's confidence in the rule of law and access to the judicial system in Bulgaria.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: During FY 2001, USAID/Bulgaria will revisit its program strategy to determine the appropriate level and content of activities under the Support for the Rule of Law program. Continued support for the Bulgarian judicial system is anticipated. Changes to indicators for this SO for the next reporting period are being discussed.
Other Donor Programs: The Open Society Institute's legislative program--the Constitutional and Legislative Policy Institute (COLPI), based in Budapest, Hungary--has provided assistance to the Magistrate Training Center with financial support for its first training courses. Both the EU and the World Bank have listed judicial reform as a high priority in their public administration reform agenda for year 2001.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: East-West Management Institute and the Magistrate Training Center
FY 2002 Performance Table
Selected Performance Measures: An Improved Judicial System that Better Supports Democratic Processes and Market Reforms, 183-022
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Percentage of judges trained N/A N/A 5% 35% 50% 90% Indicator 2: Model pilot courts established and effectively operating N/A N/A N/A 0 4 7 Indicator Information:
Indicator Level (S)or(IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: IR Percentage Magistrate Training Center (MTC); East West Management Institute (EWMI) Measures the number of judges trained as a percentage of the total number of judges Indicator 2: IR Number EWMI "Established" refers to the number of courts that have been automated and have agreed to introduce new procedures to improve their administrative operations. "Operational" refers to the use of new procedures for improved administrative operations. "New procedures" are new methods and approaches for case management, but not necessarily legislatively approved. U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
Obligations Expenditures Unliquidated Through September 30, 1999 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 4,703 SEED 1,866 SEED 2,837 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Fiscal Year 2000 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 2,139 SEED 872 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA Through September 30, 2000 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 6,842 SEED 2,738 SEED 4,104 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Prior Year Unobligated Funds 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 340 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 2,315 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 2,655 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Future Obligations Est. Total Cost Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 2,350 SEED 0 SEED 11,847 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
