The Ministry of Electronic Governance is the least transparent institution in Bulgaria, with a score of 28.9 out of a maximum of 82, securing the last place in a transparency study of central executive authorities in the country.
This finding comes from the annual civil audit of active transparency for 2022, the results of which were announced last week during an online press conference by the Access to Information Programme Foundation.
The study is conducted through a review of the institutions’ websites. This year, it took place between April 1 and June 10, 2022, during which the pages of 563 administrative structures across central, territorial, and local levels, as well as public legal entities and independent authorities, were examined.
The aim of the study is to evaluate how public authorities fulfill their obligations under the Access to Public Information Act regarding actively publishing information online and responding to electronic requests for access.
Within the study, 563 electronic requests were submitted, seeking information about the total number of judicial decisions made in 2021 regarding cases against decisions related to the Access to Public Information Act by each of the assessed administrations.
Transparency levels for 2022 are evaluated through various indicators. The most numerous indicators (108) are used to calculate the transparency of primary budgetary authorities. This is followed by territorial units of central authorities and secondary budgetary authorities, which are evaluated using 94 indicators, while transparency and integrity in Bulgarian municipalities are assessed with 118 indicators.
The Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, and the Council of Ministers rank as the top three most transparent Bulgarian ministries. At the bottom of the list are the Ministry of Innovations and Growth, the Ministry of Culture—which has been the least transparent for two consecutive years—and the Ministry of Electronic Governance.
What has the youngest Bulgarian ministry failed to do to receive the rating of “most opaque”?
According to the study by the Access to Information Programme (AIP), the Ministry of Electronic Governance did not provide internal rules for the administrative services it offers. Similarly, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Youth and Sports have not done so either.
While there are more ministries that publish their regulations and texts, some of these ministries do not clearly indicate the publication dates of these acts on their websites. This issue applies to the Council of Ministers and nine other ministries: the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reports from public consultations are also being withheld
This applies to draft regulatory acts that are required to undergo public discussion, with the results of these discussions needing to be published. However, not all ministries fulfill this obligation.
The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Electronic Governance have not published programs or development strategies. Neither ministry publishes reports on their activities. The same is true for the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense.
Bansko Municipality is the Most Transparent Bulgarian Municipality in 2022.
With its top position among Bulgarian local authorities, Bansko has displaced Belogradchik Municipality, which ranks third in this study. The least transparent municipal administrations are found in Rudozem, Nevestino, and Levski.
The results assessing the municipalities’ fulfillment of their obligations, which include the publication of budgets, financial reports, the date of public discussions on budget projects and financial reports, information on public procurements in the “Purchaser Profile” section, and declarations under the Anti-Corruption Act and the Act for Seizure of Illegally Obtained Property, form the Map of Financial and Budget Transparency of municipalities.
The Ministry of the Interior is found to be less transparent than one of its regional directorates. The Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior (ODMV) in Kyustendil ranks highly among all 28 directorates in the country, while the least transparent is the ODMV in Shumen.
