The final phase of the CityLinks program, 2004-2008, was carried out in partnership with the Bulgarian  Foundation for Local Government Reform (FLGR) and was designed to build on components from the earlier phases that had been most successful and that had made the greatest impact on the development of Bulgarian municipalities. It also set the stage for continuing changes in the way Bulgarian municipalities are managed and serve their citizens. As a very successful model for creation of partnerships between Bulgarian and U.S. cities, the program further fostered the exchange, upgrading, and wide dissemination of experience, know-how, and effective local government practices.

Program Objectives
The overall goals of the program were (1) to strengthen the capacity of Bulgarian local governments to develop and apply new approaches and methodologies for solving their current problems and (2) to enhance the capabilities of Bulgarian local governments to facilitate economic growth.

Program Activities
Program activities focused on three areas: local economic development and marketing, replication of infrastructure management practices, and replication of a pilot composting program.

Replication of best practices was an important component during Phase V, in which an increasing number of practices developed in the United States and piloted in Bulgarian municipalities were introduced throughout the country with the assistance of Bulgarian professionals. As the CityLinks program developed from phase to phase, it also evolved, with the traditional city-to-city partnerships giving way in Phase V to new partnership models based on networking. The exchange of experience and best practices continued with the assistance of experts from eight U.S. local governments.

Local Economic Development
Consortium for Local Economic Development
Local economic development (LED) was a major priority for the CityLinks program in Bulgaria during the program’s 2002–2004 phase. Over that period, substantial resources were used to enhance and strengthen the LED capacities of Bulgarian municipalities by establishing a consortium with U.S. cities and by implementing a large-scale economic development and marketing program. Uniting the joint efforts of Bulgarian and U.S. cities resulted in the creation of the Bulgarian Local Economic Development Partnership (BLEDP), a broad network of leading Bulgarian municipalities and economic development specialists. BLEDP provided its Bulgarian participants with strengthened capacities to offer professional services to businesses and to lead proactive economic development programs.

To build on the successes of the 2002–2004 phase, the fifth and final program phase involved the expansion and further development of the consortium through the institutionalization of LED technical assistance, marketing, training, and the certification of Bulgarian municipalities as “ready for business.” Those activities allowed the municipalities to continue to be successful in their LED efforts following USAID “graduation,” that is, when FLGR is self-sustaining and no longer receives funds from USAID. As an example of institutionalization, FLGR assumed responsibility for the certification program.

CityLinks activities in Bulgaria sought to help the BLEDP network accomplish the following: 

  • Become more effective in bringing economic development to its municipalities
  • Increase awareness of the importance of local economic development among municipalities
  • Implement certification “with excellence”—an advanced level of the certification program
  • Develop the BLEDP network into a strong platform to attract private investment to Bulgarian municipalities, thus creating new job opportunities
  • Institutionalize technical assistance and LED efforts to allow sustainability after USAID graduation.

Local Economic Development Conferences
In November 2006 FLGR held its first annual LED conference, “Businesses and Municipalities: Partners for Economic Development” in Sofia. More than 200 participants heard sessions on mobilizing business involvement in municipal investment and business environment improvement policies; municipalities as suppliers of needs-based administrative services to businesses; intermunicipal cooperation; European Union guidelines for successful public-private partnerships; and other topics.

In February 2008 FLGR organized a second national conference, which encouraged dialogue among stakeholders and assisted Bulgarian local, regional, and central governments and their civic partners with building public consensus on important development issues. This conference brought together more than 180 participants, including the USAID Mission representatives from Sofia and Macedonia; Bulgarian mayors, municipal council chairs, deputy mayors, and city officials and experts from 48 Bulgarian municipalities; four Bulgarian regional governors; representatives from seven Bulgarian national ministries and two agencies; representatives from Bulgaria-based businesses, universities, and NGOs; and representatives from the Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for Economic Modeling and Development Strategies in Ireland, the Association for German Technical Collaboration (GTZ), and the Bulgaria-based foreign missions of Ireland, Norway, and France.

The keynote presentation provided an analysis of Bulgaria’s competitiveness in the globalizing world. Other topics addressed by conference presenters included the importance of having a common vision and strategy at the national, regional, and municipal levels; mutual trust and cooperation among the different levels of government; and effective utilization of EU funds for regional projects.

Waste Management
In the 2002–2004 phase of the CityLinks program, the successful implementation of a pilot composting program increased the interest in waste management among other Bulgarian communities.

The municipalities of Boliarovo and Tundja (both in Yambol province), two of the original participating cities during the 2002–2004 phase, increased their capacity in solid waste management. The two were also committed to improving their efforts through further expansion of the composting program and to sharing their knowledge and experience with Bulgarian municipalities interested in replicating the composting activities. In 2004–2007, 15 additional municipalities built on and utilized the expertise of Boliarovo and Tundja, with the aim of ensuring sustainability beyond the end of the CityLinks program.

Overall, 19 municipalities introduced a pilot composting program, established one or more composting sites, conducted a public education campaign to inform citizens of the benefits of composting, and generated compost for use mostly in farming. Each site was equipped with containers for solid waste, and municipal officials and ecologists organized the regular turning of the piles with machinery. A local Bulgarian nongovernmental organization, the Bulgarian Association of Municipal Environmental Experts (BAMEE), as well as the Ministry of the Environment, worked with the municipalities through the program to expand the efforts and improve overall solid waste management practices in the country. The program was supported by U.S. training that is now delivered by Bulgarian trainers.  

Infrastructure Management 
Many Bulgarian municipalities have faced the challenges of both maintaining old urban infrastructure and developing new systems. In November 2000, an infrastructure management partnership that focused on developing asset and financial management plans for the public infrastructure was established between the municipality of Veliko Turnovo (Veliko Turnovo province), and the city of Golden, Colorado. The partnership was successfully replicated in the six districts of the city of Plovdiv. These projects increased the capacity of both Veliko Turnovo and Plovdiv to prepare for and manage long-term infrastructure needs.

Based on the improved capacity in Veliko Turnovo and Plovdiv, the replication of infrastructure management best practices was expanded to eight other Bulgarian municipalities between 2004 and 2007. The three-year effort built on and utilized the expertise of Veliko Turnovo and Plovdiv to help ensure sustainability of these best practices in the future.

In addition, Veliko Turnovo and Plovdiv developed a new project in the field of infrastructure management related to bridge maintenance. The new activities included a comprehensive assessment of ten bridges in the two cities and the development of a financial plan for their maintenance and replacement. These efforts built on best practices in the United States, as applied to the Bulgarian environment. In this way, there was an expansion in the exchange of infrastructure management expertise, which, in previous rounds of the program implementation, had been identified as a key area for needed cooperation.

Best Practices Symposium
In June 2007, a Best Practices Symposium, “Get Ready for Business,” was held in Varna, Bulgaria. The symposium was dedicated to 10 years of Bulgarian–American Partnership as well as the results and projects achieved under the final phase of the program. 

The symposium attracted 120 people, including representatives from more than 50 municipalities (mayors, chairs of municipal councils, municipal experts), regional governments; nongovernmental organizations, and the business sector. The symposium provided an excellent opportunity for participants to share their experiences and knowledge about how to support local and foreign companies; create new jobs; market the municipality as a business and tourist destination; prepare for and acquire certification as "ready for business"; replicate successful models for infrastructure management; and replicate programs for source separation, composting, and improvement of waste management in rural areas.

Results
Overall, the CityLinks program increased the capacity of Bulgarian municipalities to directly support local economic development, prepare for and manage long-term infrastructure needs, and manage waste services. Key achievements included the following:

  • Replication of best practices in multiple jurisdictions, and the sharing of experiences through a Best Practices Symposium, increased the impact of improvements implemented in the course of the program.                 
  • In the last three years of the program, 25 new LED projects were implemented that resulted in 2,500 new jobs; 120 million Euros were invested in new business projects; and 20 million Euros were invested in expansion of existing businesses.
  • The position of a local economic development specialist was created in 39 municipalities; offices dedicated economic development were established in many of them; 17 business advisory boards were established; and more than 100 LED professionals from participating municipalities were trained.
  • An economic development strategy and marketing materials were developed for all participating municipalities, and a marketing Web site was launched to handle inquiries and coordinate visits with potential investors.
  • 33 municipalities were certified as “ready for business” and began applying a professional approach to economic development.
  • 19 jurisdictions successfully replicated a pilot composting program, supported by training, public education, and acquisition of composting sites and equipment.
  • The replication of an infrastructure management model from Golden, Colorado, was extended to eight new Bulgarian municipalities, resulting in the development of asset and financial management plans for street maintenance and repair.
  • 9 municipalities adopted an optimized street and road maintenance model.