bulgaria.usaid.gov
Mission Director: Michael Fritz
(Office/Name), USAID
c/o American Embassy/Sofia
Department of State
Washington, DC 20521-5740
Tel: 359-2-937-5101
Fax: 359-2-939-5748
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Overview
Since 1990, the American people, through USAID, have contributed more than $600 million in economic and technical assistance to support Bulgaria’s transition to a market-based democracy. The USAID program in Bulgaria has evolved from its early, dual focus on humanitarian aid and political party strengthening to a broader development approach designed to help the country ocome the challenges of its transition to democratic governance and a market economy. Together with its partners, USAID has assisted with developing private bnesses, improving local democratic governance, supporting rule of law reforms, building new systems and institutions, enhancing human capacity to manage these changes, and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations. Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union, effective January 2007, will end economic assistance provided by USAID under the Support to Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act in September 2008.
 USAID in Bulgaria: 1990–2007 - Seventeen Years Hand in Hand
From our vantage point in 2007, it is striking how far Bulgaria has come since 1989. The march from a highly centralized communist state to a democratic, free market member of NATO and the European Union (EU) has been long and often uphill... Read More ...
Bulgaria in Action
 “Na Chisto” Celebrates Five Years of Investigative Journalism
The USAID-supported weekly TV investigative program “Na Chisto” (Clean Slate) celebrated its fifth anniversary at a ceremony in Sofia in May 2008... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Democracy
 “Democracy That Delivers” Highlights Transitions in Bulgaria, Western Balkans
USAID/Bulgaria and the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) organized an international conference in Sofia on May 21, 2008 entitled “Democracy That Delivers: Unlocking the Potential of Transition”... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Democracy
 Micro-Lending Supports Nearly 800 Roma Entrepreneurs
On May 30, 2008, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), microfinance institutions USTOI and Mikrofond, and USAID officially closed the Inclusive Business Development of Roma Communities Project... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Financial Markets
 Closing Mission Donates Computers to Bulgarian Schools, NGOs
A school for deaf children in Sofia was among the beneficiaries of a computer donation by the USAID Mission to Bulgaria as part of its close-out process. Non-governmental organizations serving Roma children, five schools participating in the Junior Achievement program... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Education
 U.S. Embassy Joins Local Volunteers to Make Stara Zagora Greener
On April 5, US embassy staff, American soldiers and hundreds of local volunteers planted 15,000 trees as part of the “Let’s Save the Forest” initiative in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Environment
 Bulgarian IT Experts Earn American Masters Degrees
The first 16 Bulgarian students to successfully complete the Master of Science in Information Systems at the Stevens Institute of Technology received their diplomas on October 30, 2007 at Sofia University... Read More ...
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 Investigative Reporters Expose Corruption in Bulgaria
“Na Chisto” can be translated as “to come clean,” an apt title for a USAID-funded Bulgarian television program that since 2003 has been investigating allegations of corruption in the public sector... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Democracy
 USAID Welcomes Bulgaria, Romania as Sustaining Partners
USAID marked the culmination of 17 years of direct U.S. foreign assistance to Romania and Bulgaria. The two countries, now members of the European Union and NATO, have achieved key development milestones politically, economically, and socially... Read More ...
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 Composting for a Cleaner Bulgaria
The Bulgarian government has passed new legislation making widely used, improvised dumpsites at village outskirts illegal. Local governments have been charged with finding new ways to collect and dispose of household waste... Read More ...
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 USAID Enables Nachala to Expand Micro-Lending
On July 26, USAID signed a four-year portable guarantee agreement with the micro-lending cooperative Nachala. The guarantee agreement will enable Nachala to seek financing from local and international financial institutions on favorable conditions... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Financial Markets
 New Department to Continue Bulgarian Court Improvements
Seven years of USAID work toward Bulgarian court improvement became another USAID legacy on July 11 when the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) created a Department of Court Administration... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Rule of Law
 Volunteers Offer Expertise to Grassroots Initiatives
A group of Peace Corps volunteers and the Bulgarian Center for Development and Training (BCDT)—an NGO formed by the staff of the USAID Participant Training Program—recently conducted a series of pilot initiatives... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Education
 Minivans Deliver Microcredit to Bulgaria’s Remote Regions
On June 19, Thomas Fleetwood Mefford, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, inaugurated the first “mobile” branches of the Nachala microfinance institution at a ceremony in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 In New Center, National Institute of Justice Sees Promising Future
After over a year of planning, design, and construction, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) opened its new building on May 4 in Sofia, further expanding the reach of judiciary training in Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 Innovation Enhances Monitoring of Judgment Enforcement
USAID’s Commercial Law Reform Program (CLRP) publicly presented the newly-developed Judgment Enforcement Performance Monitoring System (JEPMS) in the city of Russe, Bulgaria on April 20... Read More ...
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 Sofia Courts Open First Children’s Interview Room
One of the most difficult issues facing Bulgaria’s judiciary was addressed with the opening of a dedicated space for interviewing child participants in court proceedings on April 20 at the Ministry of the Interior in Sofia... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Health
 Bulgarian Local Government Initiative Celebrates Achievements
At a conference on April 17, USAID celebrated the successful completion of its local government reform assistance program in Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 New Prosecutor Class Uses USAID-Supported Curriculum
Bulgaria’s newest entering class of junior prosecutors began its studies at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) on March 19—and is the first class to use new curriculum designed with the support from the USAID Judicial Strengthening Initiative... Read More ...
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 USAID Study Tour Featured on Bulgarian Television
On March 8, the USAID Commercial Law Reform Program (CLRP) organized an advance public viewing of Bulgarian National Television’s “The Law and Us” program, which featured a recent USAID study tour to the Netherlands... Read More ...
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 Commercial Law Reform Program Celebrates Successes
After three years of promoting reforms, the USAID/Bulgaria Commercial Law Reform Program (CLRP) announced the completion of work in three of its four program areas... Read More ...
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 Private Enforcement Agents Speak Out Against Violence
Bulgaria’s new profession of private judgment enforcement agents, established with support from the USAID Commercial Law Reform Program (CLRP) last year, broke new ground at its national conference in November... Read More ...
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 CLRP Seminar Initiates TV Debate on Private Enforcement Agents
On November 8, the USAID Commercial Law Reform Program (CLRP) helped organize a televised debate entitled “Private Enforcement Agents – Vicious Collectors or Knights of the Law?”... Read More ...
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 Estonia Shares Development Lessons with New EU Countries
From October 8-15, a group of local development experts from eight Bulgarian municipalities traveled to Estonia for training on Improving the Economic Development Environment of Local Communities... Read More ...
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 New Steps in Court Transparency in Dobrich
The Dobrich District and Regional Courts opened a new information center on October 12—a result of their active participation in the Courts in Partnership Program of USAID’s Judicial Strengthening Initiative... Read More ...
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 Bulgaria Boasts More Model Courts
Three more Bulgarian courts achieved Model Court status in a ceremony on 30 September in Sofia. The District Courts of Kurdjali, Veliko Tarnovo, and Vratsa joined thirteen other USAID Model Courts... Read More ...
Related Items: Bulgaria, Rule of Law
 Junior Achievement Bulgaria Trains Teachers on Economics and
Entrepreneurship
Marking significant progress in the development of business education in secondary schools, the largest-ever Junior Achievement (JA) Bulgaria teacher certificate training course on economics and entrepreneurship took place in Sofia September 8-10... Read More ...
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 Bulgarian Vets Prepare for Avian Influenza
USAID/Bulgaria completed training for 432 state and private veterinarians in five locations in Bulgaria on the essentials of controlling highly pathogenic Avian Influenza... Read More ...
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 Innovative Program in Bulgaria Leaves Sustainable Legacy
The USAID Community Fund and Social Enterprise Program celebrated its successful completion on September 20 at the Radisson Hotel in Sofia... Read More ...
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 Court Watch NGO Presents Findings on Disability Access
Following a 10-month study of access for persons with disabilities in Bulgarian courts, USAID sub-grantee, Center for Independent Living, presented its findings on September 5 in Sofia... Read More ...
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 Law Program Success Leads to New Launch
The USAID Attorneys’ Professional Development Initiative (APDI) celebrated its successful completion on September 8 at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 Bulgarian Lawyers Receive Georgetown Degrees
Raya Dimova, a public prosecutor for the city of Sofia, and Hristina Valtcheva, legal counsel for the Financial Supervision Commission of Bulgaria, received master degrees from the Georgetown University Law Center this spring... Read More ...
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 Community Fund Opens Playground
Children in the town of Radnevo have a new playground, thanks to their parents’ volunteer work and the Happy Childhood Project of the local grassroots organization “Iniziativa Za” (“Initiative For”)... Read More ...
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 USAID-supported Social Enterprise Offers New Services to Disabled in Sofia
On August 9, Mission Director Michael Fritz inaugurated the new branch of the Health for Everyone Association in Sofia... Read More ...
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 Local NGOs Launch Projects to Support Court Transparency and Efficiency
Following an intense competition, 27 NGOs from diverse regions of Bulgaria received small grant awards in Sofia on July 27... Read More ...
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 Bulgarian Tourism Teachers Sharpen Skills
A group of 16 teachers from 10 tourism vocational schools participated in the first internship program of its kind in Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 Bulgaria Judicial Reform Grantees Hold Regional Exhibition
Four USAID grantees held a public exhibition on the work of courts on June 27th in Targovishte, Bulgaria. The joint effort was part of USAID Judicial Strengthening Initiative (JSI) work to support... Read More ...
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 USAID Caps Five Years of Court Clerk Customer Service Trainings
Completing a five-year chapter of work with Bulgaria’s court clerks, the USAID Judicial Strengthening Initiative (JSI) delivered its final customer service training on May 25 - 26 in Sofia... Read More ...
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 US Ambassador and Sofia Mayor Inaugurate One-Stop Service Centers
U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria John Beyrle and Sofia Mayor Boyko Borissov inaugurated the first municipal customer service centers in Sofia’s Studentski, Mladost and Vazrazhdane districts on June 12th... Read More ...
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 Bulgarian Administrators Seek to Improve English Language Skills
More than 40 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers and their Bulgarian counterparts received certificates for successful completion of the first workshop on Conversational English Teaching Methodology last week... Read More ...
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 USAID Provides Support to the Flooded Areas near the Danube
Since April 12, 2006, the Danube River has flooded several settlements on the Bulgarian side of the river causing damage similar in size and economic impact to the devastations from last year... Read More ...
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 USAID Partners with Nestle Bulgaria, JobTiger to Produce Internship and Career Forum for University Students
The Fifth Annual Internship and Careers Forum was held on March 16, 2006 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The forum creates career and Human Resources development opportunities for university students and employers... Read More ...
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 Seventeen Bulgarian Municipalities to Out-Source Social Services
USAID/Bulgaria’s Community Fund and Social Enterprise program, implemented by Counterpart International in partnership with the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-profit Law... Read More ...
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 Steven Institute and Sofia University launch Joint MSc in Information Systems
Stevens Institute of Technology, one of the oldest private engineering institutions in the US, opened its Masters of Science in Information Systems program in Sofia, in cooperation with Sofia University and with the support of USAID... Read More ...
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 CEED has launched its first training in Varna and Burgas
The Bulgarian Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) was officially launched on September, 20, 2005 with the support of USAID and the Small Enterprise Assistance Fund (SEAF)... Read More ...
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 U.S. Government Receives 2005 Benefactor of the Year Award for Work in
Bulgaria
The Benefactor Foundation presented the US Government and US Agency for International Development with a 2005 Benefactor of Bulgaria Award for assistance and support to the Bulgarian people during the floods of 2005... Read More ...
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 Bulgarian Regional Court Chairman Honored for Tolerance
The Mediation Center in Assenovgrad established by Partners Bulgaria Foundation and funded by USAID bestowed the prize for “Most Tolerant Person” to Mr. Daniel Lukov, Chair of the Regional Court for 8 years... Read More ...
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 Twelve Bulgarian Municipalities Open for Business Development
Municipal Local Economic Development is a relatively new but growing concept in Bulgaria. In order to facilitate that growth, USAID has established its municipal local economic development (LED) program in Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 Bulgarian Community Leaders Celebrate Philanthropy and Social
Entrepreneurship
On December 5, 2005, USAID sponsored the Fair for Social Change, which promoted projects, partnerships and products with social-added value in Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 Training DVD Targets Bulgarian Apparel Industry
More than 2500 apparel and textile companies generate a quarter of all Bulgarian exports and employ more than 170,000 people. The apparel industry faces severe threats from global competition... Read More ...
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 The Bulgarian Judiciary Get the Message on Corruption
The Second National Judicial Conference sponsored by USAID brought together over 700 Bulgarian judges to discuss and debate various substantive and administrative issues... Read More ...
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 Regional Police Chief Receives Tolerance Award
For the second year in a row, the Mediation Center in Dupnitsa, established through USAID’s Ethnic Integration project, bestowed a prize for “The Tolerant Person of the Year”... Read More ...
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 Stara Zagora Supports Its Roma Craftsmen
On October 31, 2005, six Roma craftsmen from the Technitari Union in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria received free equipment and instruments for maintenance and development... Read More ...
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 Oldest Bulgarian Business Association Opens Commercial Mediation Center
On October 27, 2005, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) officially opened its Commercial Mediation Center... Read More ...
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 Two Bulgarian Courts Join USAID-funded Courts in Partnership
Program
The USAID-sponsored Courts in Partnership initiative provides a framework for important work on judicial reform and rule of law are issues in Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 USAID Professional Media Program Renders a Winner
On October 15, 2005, Na Chisto (Clean Slate) won the Grand Award for Television at The Bulgarian Europe Festival in Russe... Read More ...
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USAID Lends Support to Bulgarian-Iraq Economic Forum
With the financial and administrative support of USAID, an Iraqi-Bulgarian business seminar was organized by the Bulgarian-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BICCI)... Read More ...
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Bulgaria Appoints Roma Minister
The new government of Bulgaria, under Prime Minister Stanishev recently appointed Mr. Yavor Dimitrov, 41, as Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy... Read More ...
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 Veliko Tarnovo District Court and USAID Sign On for Future Collaboration
Thomas Fleetwood Mefford, the USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, met with the Veliko Tarnovo District Court Chairman, Daniel Minov... Read More ...
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 New Loan Guarantee Facility Opens New Opportunity for Bulgaria’s Municipalities
On September 28, 2005, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe & Eurasia Thomas Fleetwood Mefford and HVB Bank Biochim Chief Executive Officer Peter Harold signed a $15 million loan portfolio guarantee agreement... Read More ...
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New USAID Mission Director for Bulgaria Sworn In
On July 26, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the swearing in of Michael Fritz as its new Mission Director for Bulgaria... Read More ...
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 Bulgaria Celebrates New National Institute of Justice Building
Bulgaria’s Day of Awareness and Intellectual Pursuit was celebrated this year with the inauguration ceremony of the new building for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ)... Read More ...
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 $25 Million Raised for Balkans Through Public-Private Partnership: Donors Leverage Funds to Solidify Democracy
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation are pleased to announce a new $25 million initiative to support good governance in Southeastern Europe. The grant-making effort, called the Balkan Trust for Democracy, is a project of GMF made possible through a public-private partnership between GMF, USAID, and the Mott Foundation. Read More ...
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