Ambassador Beyrle’s Remarks for the opening of the Democracy Commission Conference

February 26, 2007

Dear Distinguished Guests, Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
 
I am very pleased to welcome you this morning to the Democracy Commission Alumni Conference, appropriately called Next Steps.  You are part of a select group of NGOs that received Democracy Commission grants for projects intended to make a difference in the everyday lives of Bulgarians, and you succeeded.  Now that Bulgaria has entered the European Union, the Democracy Commission’s mandate is nearly complete.  We will be giving our last grants this year.  Our purpose today is to thank you for your accomplishments, and to show you how you can continue the good work that you have begun.   

The purpose of the Support for Eastern European Democracies Act, or SEED Act, which Congress passed in 1989, was to help Bulgaria and the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe build the foundations of a civil society and the democratic institutions which they needed to reintegrate into the rest of Europe.  The SEED Act recognized that much of the important work of a democratic society is done by nongovernmental organizations.  It recognized the importance of giving power not just to the state, but to the individual citizen.  

One of our purposes today is to honor the important work that your organizations have done since the Democracy Commission began its work in 1993.  We provided the money and you did the work.  You helped train new magistrates and judges, and addressed transparency issues by helping amend local laws and adopt new ethics codes.  You worked hard in communities across Bulgaria to promote ethnic tolerance, judicial reform, leadership training, prevention of human trafficking, and prevention of corruption.  Your groups worked hard for greater civic involvement, youth development, and human rights.  

For example, the Commission awarded a grant to the Animus Association to organize a 24-hour help-line and counselling program for victims of domestic violence in Sofia, which was later expanded due the program’s success in Sofia, to include additional cities like Plovdiv and Pernik, and to broaden the project’s scope to include victims of sexual abuse and trafficking.  The Amalipe Center for Interethnic Dialogue in Veliko Turnovo developed Roma folklore classes for primary-school education in 14 administrative districts, which later were expanded to cover the whole country.  The Access to Information Program Foundation launched a country-wide publicity campaign to demand more accountability from Bulgarian government agencies, and which resulted in Parliament passing the Access to Information Bill.  For the first time, Bulgarians have judicial recourse if a government agency fails to respond to a request for information in a timely manner.  Finally, the Junior Achievement-Bulgaria Foundation expanded significantly the number of students who studied entrepreneurship.  Now over 10,000 Bulgarian students study under the Junior Achievement model.  And these are but four examples.  All of you, through hard work, dedication, and vision of the society that Bulgaria could and should have, have made a difference in this country.

Today we will announce the call for proposals for the final round of Democracy Commission grants.  A little later today, my Embassy colleagues will address you with more specific details on how we’re structuring this last round of Democracy Commission assistance.  We’ll provide you with detailed instructions on how to apply, complete with information on our top funding priorities.  By the end of the day, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to compete successfully for a Democracy Commission grant.
 
Later during this conference, we will discuss other possible sources of funding for your projects, from the Bulgarian government, from the EC, and from other sources, so that you can continue your good work.  We have done a lot together, but as you know, a lot more needs to be done, so that Bulgarians have the democratic, just, and prosperous society that they deserve.  I salute you for your work in the past, and I wish you success in meeting the challenges of the future.  May your good work continue to make a real difference in the lives of the people of Bulgaria. 

Thank you.