European label for innovations and good management on local level

General information

The Republic of Bulgaria is the first member state of the Council of Europe (CoE), which in 2010 was granted the right (accreditation) by the CoE to award its municipalities a Label for innovation and good governance at local level (Label).

The label is a crystal dodecahedron, on the walls of which are engraved in Bulgarian the 12 principles of good democratic governance of the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance of the CoE (adopted in October 2007 at the 15th session of the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Governance in Valencia and approved by a decision of the Bulgarian Government in the same month).

The Label certifies that the management in a municipality meets certain quality requirements for the administrative services provided.

The label is a moral award, a symbol of prestige and an incentive for municipalities to improve their governance at the service of civil society.

The main objective of the initiative for awarding the Label is to encourage the efforts of more and more local authorities and the productive rivalry between them, which in turn will lead to more effective policies aimed at strong and vibrant local self-government in Bulgaria.

The implementation of the Strategy is carried out in partnership between the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) and the central government, represented by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW).

A Commission for the attribution of an Innovation and Good Governance Label (the Commission) was set up in 2010 by a Decision of the Council on Decentralisation of Government. The President of the Commission is the Minister for Regional Development and Public Works, and its members are representatives of the Ombudsman, municipalities and districts, the National Association of Municipalities and Municipalities, the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, the Center for the Study of Democracy, the Balkan Assist Association, the Bulgarian National Television and academia. 

The Secretariat of the Commission is the Directorate-General for Strategic Planning of Regional Development and Administrative-Territorial Structure (DG SPRATOU) of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.

In 2010, the Republic of Bulgaria became the first CoE Member State to be accredited to award its municipalities the Label.