National Consultations on Local Level Public Ethics to be held 4–5 December at the National Spatial Planning Centre, 16–20 Alabin St., Floor 7

National Consultations on Local Level Public Ethics will be held 4–5 December at the National Spatial Planning Centre (NSPC), 16–20 Alabin St., Floor 7. The Consultations are organised by NSPC in partnership with the Ministry of Regional development and Public Works and under the auspices of the Council of Europe, DG Cooperation in Local and Regional Democracy. The event’s purpose is to identify ethical norms applicable to the operations of Bulgarian municipal governments based on the Council of Europe publication, Local Level Public Ethics: A Package of Model Initiatives. The Bulgarian Good Municipal Practices in the field of public ethics will be presented and circulated in the framework of the event. Three main problem areas are on the agenda for discussion: 1. Organisation and operation of the Municipal Council. Substance, organisational conduct, ethical rules and guarantees for the effective exercise of the rights and duties of local elected representatives. Possible forms of corruption and ways to limit the problem. 2. Rights and duties of the Municipal Mayor. Public participation. Local partnerships. Transparency of the Mayor’s actions as a way to limit the abuse of power. 3. Organisation and operation of the Municipal Administration. Status of municipal officers. Rules of conduct. Ways to reduce maladministration as a form of local bureaucracy (conflicts of interest). Group discussions will be held after each presentation. Representative of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the National Assembly, the National Audit Office, NCSP, the Mayors of the 28 regional centres and the Regional Governors of the six Planning Regions have been invited to take part in the Consultations. Non-governmental organisations in the field of local self-government and local anti-corruption work, such as the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria, regional municipal associations, the Local Government Reform Foundation, Transparency International, the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Coalition 2000, are also expected to contribute to the discussions. Public Relations and International Cooperation Directorate