A conference took place at the Council of Ministers on Wednesday on monitoring practices of EU governments' priorities under the EU twinning project "Strengthening the capacity of the Bulgarian government structures for monitoring and analyzing major policy issues and designing coherent strategic solutions".

"In a period when the world is experiencing an unprecedented financial and economic crisis, it is more than necessary to exchange good management practices," Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said in his address. He noted that the exchange is needed to implement the ambition for achieving economic welfare and social justice across the EU.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that the implementation of good EU practices will improve the decision making process, which will ensure better government in the years to come. A government's priority is to solve the problems which society experiences through the effective implementation of public policies in all key areas.

Snezhana Dimitrova, Director of the Strategic Planning Directorate within the Council of Ministers, said that the project is implemented by France, Lithuania and Bulgaria. It aims to strengthen the capacity of the Bulgarian government structures for monitoring and analyzing major policy issues and designing coherent strategic solutions. The project assists seven ministries in the implementation of the sector policies and five regional administrations in monitoring the implementation of the government policies' priorities at a regional level.

French Ambassador to Bulgaria Etienne de Poncins said that France is strongly committed to the project and wants to assist Bulgaria in the modernization of its public administration at a central and regional level. France sees in Bulgaria a very constructive partner as a country with enough experience in the negotiations with the EU.

Attending the conference were Deputy Finance Minister Kiril Ananiev, Paul Peny, Director of France's Directorate General of the Administration and Public Function (DGAPF), Bernard Boucault, Director of France's National School of Administration, experts from France, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

The project is funded under the PHARE Programme.

Source: BTA