The local integrity system in Bulgaria for 2023 represents the results of a survey taken in the 27 municipalities – regional centres. It includes data for the capacity, role and governance of 10 key institutions and sectors of public life on local level: the municipal council, the mayor, the municipal administration, court, police, political parties, business, media, civil society organisations and the municipal healthcare structures. The index is made up of a detailed set of indicators that assess the capacity for effective functioning of the surveyed sectors, their role and contribution to the development of local communities in the context of good governance and prevention of corruption.
 
The overall total value of the Local Integrity System Index for 2023 is 3.23 points out of a maximum value of 5. A summary of the data shows promising progress in some aspects of the activities of certain institutions of municipality government and self-government, while simultaneously showing a lack of progress or pull back from others.
 
The development of electronic technologies by municipal administrations leads to the delivery of a wider range of electronic services to businesses and citizens, as well as increased publicity in the work of mayors and local councillors. At the end of the mayor’s and local councillors’ mandates, a more adequate performance of accountability indicators has been concluded.
 
Moreover, progress has been made towards the provision of conditions for new business initiatives and publicising the local policy of the investment attraction executive.
 
The 2023 survey solidifies the positive score of the municipal administration, a pillar that differs from the rest within municipal governance. Despite the relatively limited financial resources in a significant number of the municipalities, municipal administrations continue to do a number of things. These include the introduction of new technologies, expansion of the range of the delivery of electronic services, expansion of the qualifications of their workers and provision of publicity on basic information concerning registers, discussion of projects of legal actions and projects on decisions and administrative services for citizens and businesses. Despite this, there is still a need for action regarding the provision of accountability and effective management of companies that are owned by the municipal governments.
 
The survey identifies the need for the implementation of more effective control by local executive authority over contractors in municipalities and the awarding of public contracts. There is also an existing need to provide an adequate level of transparency regarding the use of means from European funds.
 
Mechanisms for interactions with businesses, civil organisations and media continue to suffer from rule and transparency deficit. This includes notions like who, when, and in what way influences development policies for local communities and specific management positions. Positive actions have been taken by some municipalities, however, general practices do not meet the standards for transparent and open interaction between the public sector and civil society structures.
The topic of counter-actioning corruption continues to be under review in declarative and wishful aspect, whilst good governance is mainly viewed through the lens of introducing e-governance.
 
Primary steps have been taken (though not from all municipalities) to build systems of protection for whistleblowers. This indicator has been included for the first time during the 2023 survey and is linked with the newly adopted legislation, which provides measures of protection for employees reporting irregularities and corruption in the organisations they work for. Given the inclusion of this new indicator (applicable to public institutions, businesses and healthcare), it is important to approach with care when making annual comparisons of individual sector indices.
 
Ranks by Municipalities:
For the second year in a row, the lead by municipalities is taken by Ruse with a 3.79 in the index. Comparing the city’s score with last years, we can observe an increase from 3.74 points in 2022, to 3.79 points in 2023. This is a result of the continuous accountability measures and the establishment of a framework of rules for the interaction of the local executive authority with structures of civil society and business. In the group of municipalities with the highest scores in the index are the municipal government of Burgas (with an overall score of 3.66 points) and Sofia (with an overall score of 3.58 points). In these municipalities, there is both an assembled capacity of municipal government institutions as well as an active and stable functioning of structures of civil society, business, media and healthcare.
 
The improvement of the values of the overall index is found in the municipalities of Pernik, Veliko Tarnovo, Lovech, Blagoevgrad, Pleven and Haskovo. In part of these municipalities, the progress is a result of the measures which the local executive authority has taken as an answer to the recommendations made in the 2022 Index as part of the established cooperation between Transparency International Bulgaria and the understanding of good practice.
 
Municipal governments, whose overall aggregate index has received the lowest values in comparison with other municipalities are Kurdzhali(with an overall score of 2.56 points, marks a slight decrease in comparison to its 2022 2.68 points), Silistra (with an overall score of 2.74, also marks a decrease in comparison to its 2022 2.79 score) and Pazardzhik (with an overall score of 2.83 points, marks the most significant decrease in comparison to its 2022 3.15 score). Aggregate scores of their indices reflect both the lack of development measures at the end of the local mandate and the relative weakness of civil society, business and media structures.
 
Ranks by Sectors:
Sectors marking the highest score in the index are, municipal administration (with an overall score of 3.80 points), the courts (with an overall score of 3.65 points) and the mayor (with an overall score of 3.69 points). In the following positions there are the police(with an overall score of 3.30 points) and municipal council (with an overall score of 3.00 points). In comparison with the previous year, it should be noted the significant decrease in the score of police, which demonstrates a deficit in dealing with vote-buying practices and pressure on voters in local elections.
 
Local structures of political parties receive an overall score of 3.06% in the index. The index marks a reduction in comparison with its predecessor year due to the use of resources with unclear origin for buying votes and for the covert coverage in the media within the pre-election campaign for local elections.
 
This year’s survey shows a certain positive trend in the evaluation of the civil society structures. The healthcare structure has an overall score of 3.15 points. Civil organisations have a relatively good performance, receiving a total score of 3.02 points. A definite positive trend is established within the media, where the score has increased from 2.84 in 2022 to 2.98 in 2023. In last place in the overall ranking is the business sector with an overall score of 2.67 points, in which regard the lack of consistent measures to create and implement rules for the protection of employees reporting irregularities and corruption(responding to new laws on the Protection of Whistle-blowers or publicly disclosing information on violations) has a negative impact.