24 CHASA: SOFIA AND BURGAS AT THE TOP POSITION BY LOCAL INTEGRITY

Local authorities in Sofia and Burgas share the first place in the integrity rating. Third in the rank is Stara Zagora. These are the results of the first issue of the annual Local Integrity System Index. The research was conducted by Transparency International Bulgaria with the support from the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

At the bottom are Haskovo, Varna and Vidin, as showed in the 2015 ranking list.

The Local Integrity System Index is an initiative of Transparency International Bulgaria coming from the conception that effective fight against corruption is impossible without involving all key actors on local level. The Index is designed to give comparative assessment of anti-corruption capacities of local governments, mayors, municipalities, local business, regional media, civil society, courts, and the police departments in each city/town on annual basis. The research encompasses all 28 regions in the country.

”The Local Integrity System Index is exclusively important, because it serves as a detector for perspective investors” Mr Ognyan Minchev, the President of TI – Bulgaria said during the LISI launch. According to Mr Minchev, it is of huge importance to explore the possibilities for cooperation between authorities and civil society. And this could be achieved through evaluation of two major pillars: the transparency of public procurement and the assessment of municipal and state property management on local level.

The full article is available at the 24 Chasa webpage (Bulgarian language).