Closing Seminar on The Project for Anti-Corruption Education

A Closing Seminar on the anti-corruption policies which was part of a project for Anti-Corruption Education was organized by the UNWE. The Seminar was under the auspices of Meglena Kuneva, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science and it was held in the Small Conference Hall. At the event attended the Rector of UNWE Prof. D.Sc.(Econ.) Statty Stattev, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Dean of the Economics of Infrastructure Faculty and Head of the National and Regional Security Department, Dr. Diana Kovacheva, Deputy Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Plamen Georgiev, Chairman of the Commission for Withdrawal of Criminal Assets, Tony Thompson, Director of the World Bank for Bulgaria, Kalin Slavov, Executive Director of Transparency International, lecturers and students.

The Vice Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva, the Rector Prof. Statty Stattev and the Dean Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov (from the left to the right) at the opening of the Seminar

It is an honour for our university to organize the Closing Seminar on the project for Anti-Corruption Policies, opened the event the Rector of UNWE Prof. D.Sc.(Econ.) Statty Stattev. He outlined that the students participating in that educational project implemented by the assistance of a number of Bulgarian and international organizations would be awarded Certificates. We could not entirely eradicate the corruption but our objective is to develop the parameters for preventing this phenomenon to the ones in developing countries, pointed out the tasks and importance of educational project Prof. Stattev.

In the Small Conference Hall

The period from the arising of idea for the project and its implementation was examined by Meglena Kuneva. The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science featured the most essential parts of the new Prevention of Corruption Act and pointed out that for its implementation the efforts in and out of the country should be united. We have identified the problem and we have created an institutional basis for driving against the corruption, pointed out Kuneva. The power for doing this Act comes out of the significant public support, outlined the Minister and emphasized on the two major instruments in the new legal document – the verification of assets and conflict of interest. This Act will break the vicious circle and it will turn back the trust of people, explicitly said Minister Kuneva. According to her words there hadn`t been more important task in Bulgaria and in Europe than restoring the people trust. Europe is as powerful as the power of its weakest state, outlined the Vice Prime Minister.

Meglena Kuneva is speaking about the new Act.

We are on the right track, pointed out also Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov who outlined the tasks of the Closing Seminar. The education in this field is very important for our students and the project opens new opportunities for them, pointed out the Dean. He expressed his thankfulness for the common efforts in the implementation of the project for Anti-Corruption Education.

Participants in the Seminar

Counteraction to the Corruption and the Bad Administration: International Standards was the topic of presentation by Dr. Diana Kovacheva, Deputy Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria. She made a review of the impact of corruption and the work of Ombudsman as an independent body. Kovacheva expressed in numbers the work of public solicitor and pointed out that over the last five months of the year about 5 000 complaints had been submitted to the public institution by the citizens. “The corruption is equivalent to a monopoly plus discretion minus accountability”, derived the formula for the phenomenon Dr. Kovacheva. She commented the regulation at regional and national level, relations between the corruption and violation of human rights, punishment of political corruption, etc.

Diana Kovacheva and Plamen Georgiev

During the Closing Seminar the main topic was commented also by Plamen Georgiev, Chairman of the Commission for Withdrawal of Criminal Assets, Tony Thompson, Director of the World Bank for Bulgaria, etc.

The students participating in the educational project were awarded Certificates.