Abstract:
The article focuses on the EU PHARE pre-accession programme for Civil
Society Development in Bulgaria as a key precondition to develop a capacity in
civil society to manage EU structural funds and be a partner and actor in EU policy-
making. Rather than being an agent of institutional change, the programme
implementation confronts informal constraints and institutional resistance that
leads to distortions in the initial objectives and in the expected outcomes.
The text illustrates defi ciencies in civil society development in Bulgaria
through analysis of the programme administrative design and defects in implementation.
The article explores how the regulations and specifi c instructions of
PHARE on civil society development are interpreted and perceived by the different
actors of the Bulgarian public administration involved and the benefi ciary
NGOs. The over-centralised institutional setting of the programme combined
with mismanagement results in diverse and inconsistent performance, strategic
defi ciencies, and delivery shortfalls.
Description:
Dessislava Hristova is a doctoral student at the Department of European Studies,
Sofia University /Bulgaria/. Her academic interests refer to the process of civil society’s development in Bulgaria in terms of both - preconditions for influence and participation in public policy-making as well as an actor in the process of Bulgaria’s integration in the EU.
e-mail: dessichristova@gmail.com
Десислава Христова е докторант в катедра „Европеистика“ на СУ
„Св. Климент Охридски“. Академичните £ интереси са свързани с процеса
на развитие на гражданското общество в България като възможности за
влияние и участие във формиране и осъществяване на публични политики
и като актьор при интегрирането на България в ЕС.
e-mail: dessichristova@gmail.com
