Implementing Organisation: ECIP Foundation

Project Title: Participation of the Bulgarian civil society in the EU Development Co-operation

Total Costs: 47.189 euros

Request from the Fund: 44.989 euros

Overall Context at the Beginning of the Project:

On its accession to the EU in 2007 Bulgaria became obligated to incorporate the EU international development cooperation policy- a complex new challenge for the Government and an important opportunity for Bulgarian NGOs interested in international development. Bulgaria had little experience as a donor and was not yet ready to assume this responsibility. In this respect, the Bulgarian development policy required public support and partnership with NGOs working or willing to work on development issues.

Project Description and Expected Results:

Originally the ECIP Foundation was part of the CARE International family, but became the ECIP Foundation in 2007.  In the context of its previous history the ECIP Foundation had acquired the necessary experience on development cooperation but applied for PF funding in an effort to strengthen the Bulgarian (informal) platform it had established some years earlier together with 30 other NG(D)Os. With the PF grant the ECIP Foundation, the driving force behind the Bulgarian platform, wants not only to develop a strategy and action plan for further organisational development of the platform and build the members’ capacity to engage in national and EU development cooperation, but also achieve a recognition of this platform at national level through a signed agreement between the platform and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Results after Implementation:

As announced in its mid-term report ECIP The Bulgarian Platform for International Development (BPID) was formally established on 27 January 2009.

In a report on the Trialog site there is also the announcement of the First General Assembly of the Bulgarian Platform having taken place on 29 October 2009. The participants adopted the BPID’s 3-year Strategy and Action Plan, which means that a major objective of the ECIP Foundation has been achieved. BPID established itself (with a membership of 20 members by the end of 2009) as the main Bulgarian NGDO platform, recognised as such by the Bulgarian state institutions, resulting in a good level of cooperation with the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Within the platform it set up working groups in line with those of Concord of which it hopes to become a member in 2010. It expects to be able to intensify its cooperation with the Bulgarian MFA in 2010 by joining the Government’s Council for Development Cooperation and support the adoption of the Government’s Mid-Term ODA Strategy and the ODA Enactment of the Council of Ministers.