0058 – Implementing shared anti-corruption and good governance solutions in Southeast Europe: innovative practices and public-private partnerships

Name of the lead partner organisation: Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD)

Country of the lead partner organisation: Bulgaria

Project summary:

The project’s overall objective is to deliver shared anticorruption solutions to increase the accountability of state institutions and strengthen civil society and the rule of law in SEE through capacity building on implementing best practice European social research innovation instruments and the establishment of knowledge-sharing public-private partnership between civil society and public-sector actors in 9 beneficiary countries. The action aims to close anticorruption policy implementation and public procurement gaps across SEE, which will amplify the impact of the planned increase in EU infrastructure support until 2025. The project’s objective will be achieved by mainstreaming social research innovation instruments, capacity building, and the establishment of a sustainable regional good governance public-private partnership platform in beneficiary countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia). Established Regional Good Governance Public-Private Partnership Platform (R2G4P) is the project’s centrepiece sustainability product. In addition, training modules and manuals will empower NGOs and public authorities to further join forces on delivering shared regional solutions, based on the established public-private partnership path. Possibility for replication on European and global level will be driven by the public release of all project results and the adaptability of the implemented assessment and analytical tools. Combined, all project resources will empower new actors with innovative solutions in and outside SEE.

The project’s inclusive public-private partnership approach will allow target groups to share solutions across EU and non-EU borders in SEE, a critical contribution of the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation.

The action rests on four result pillars:

• Established Regional Good Governance Public-Private Partnership Platform (R2G4P). The Platform will combine RCC and RAI’s public sector cooperation capacity with SELDI.net’s expertise to create a sustainable regional public-private partnership for shared good governance solutions. With at least 22 members, holding meetings at least once annually and joint task forces informing the work of the Platform, the R2G4P will be the project’s key added value.
• Increased capacity of public institutions and NGOs to diagnose and tackle corruption risks through 4 specialised three-day regional trainings for R2G4P members and annual summer school for 25 outside participants. The training modules will include: a) MACPI: Monitoring Anticorruption Policy Implementation; b) Opentender.eu: big data and network analysis to develop innovative risk indicators; and c) tackling state (policy, regulatory) capture and emerging corruption risks. Manuals will guide each module.
• Designed shared management and policy anti-corruption solutions, through producing annual SEE Good Governance Reports, each accompanied by 9 anticorruption management reviews for selected SEE public institutions, based on implementing MACPI and opentender.eu methods.
• Communication and engagement strategy, including an opening conference, annual policy forums, and a closing summit, each attracting 100 participants.