CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY - 2021 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

In 2021, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe requested Bulgaria to comply with decisions of the European Court of Human Right (ECtHR) related to the registration of the United Macedonian Organization Ilinden (UMO Ilinden). [...] Although the constant elections and changes in the composition of parliament and government blocked long-term advocacy, there was optimism at the end of the year as the new government started seeking input from CSOs and several civic activists joined the government. [...] CSOs are the main partner to the government and the main private provider of social services in the country. [...] Compared to the available data for 2019, the number of services contracted to CSOs remains almost unchanged, but the overall number of services provided by the government has increased, meaning the share of services delegated to CSOs has decreased. [...] Government perceptions of the sector improved with the appointment of the first caretaker government that was appointed prior to the first elections in 2021, when the populist party was no longer in the government or parliament.