In recent days, the important debate on the funding of school education and on how the model can become fairer, providing greater security for small schools and creating the conditions for higher-quality education, has once again begun. The issue is not new – it has been discussed for years, generating polarised views: from proposals on […]
The Government’s Governance Programme for 2026–2030 contains a number of commitments to transparency, dialogue, combating corruption and many other issues. These are largely framed as tasks for public institutions. Even a cursory review of the Programme – a 208-page document covering almost every sphere of public life – shows that civil society is not identified […]
REPORT on the Opinions Adopted by the Civil Society Development Council July 2025 – August 2026 Powers of the CSDC Regarding the Adoption of Opinions The Civil Society Development Council (CSDC) was established pursuant to Article 4(3) of the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (NPLEA) as an advisory body to the Council of Ministers. The Council […]
The section of the Radev Government’s Governance Programme devoted to “effective management of EU funds” is considerably better developed than some other parts of the Programme. It sets out meaningful objectives and activities that could lead to the effective use of the EU funding available to Bulgaria. At the same time, there are also some […]
International and national health institutions are not concerned that COVID may return. Yet the Bulgarian Parliament, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Ministry of Finance are introducing measures reminiscent of those used during the COVID pandemic – not to protect our health, but with the state budget in mind. What are the measures […]
Civil society organizations are almost completely absent from the use of European Union funds through national (operational) programs. Two key obstacles determine the lack of NGO projects – the lack of advances if the lead beneficiary is a civil society organization and the application of a de minimis regime for all activities, regardless of whether […]
The European Court of Human Rights’ rulings in the cases of “Budinova and Isaev v. Bulgaria” and “Asenov v. Bulgaria” represent a significant victory not only for the applicants but also for all citizens who believe that democracy cannot be built on humiliation, fear, and division. On May 12, 2026, the European Court of Human […]
The funds for working with vulnerable groups will be provided to schools and kindergartens as early as May. The Ministry of Education categorically does not encourage rankings between schools based on the NFE and DZI, and will recommend to the Ministry of Education and Training that they be evaluated based on the efforts they make. […]
The European Commission team assessing Bulgaria’s implementation of the European Semester held technical meetings with NGO representatives to explore their views on developments on key issues related to education, justice, Roma integration, etc. Amalipe Center was represented by Deyan Kolev and Teodora Krumova, who participated in two of the meetings – with organizations working in […]
2025 was a year of contradictory and unfinished processes for civil society organizations in Bulgaria – trends that do not end with the end of the year, but will continue to influence the future. The development of civil society increasingly affects broad groups of citizens, including those who do not define themselves as active or […]