Strategies of the Development of Entrepreneurship and SME

The Code of Conduct for Civil Servant operates together with the Civil Servant Law and furtherdevelops the rules of conduct of civil servants. Its objective is to increase public confidence inthe professionalism and ethics of civil servants and to enhance the prestige of public service.An important step towards a favorable business environment is the Conception forimprovement of the administrative service in the context of the one-stop-shop principle and theBasic Model of one-stop-shop service. The Conception has been elaborated in fulfillment of theStrategy for Modernization of Administration. The organizational principle of the one-stop-shopservice is implemented in one way or another and at a different level of development in thegreater part of the central and district administrations. In a number of municipaladministrations a practice is imposed, based on the one-stop-shop principle, to relieve andoptimize the service rendered by the “Centers for Information and Services” set up with thesupport of the American Agency for International Development (USAID). Similar is the principleof operation of the set up “Entrepreneurs` Information Desks”.• Implementation of e-government and e-signature:In Bulgaria the term e-government is perceived mainly as services provided by the state to thecitizens and the business in an electronic way by using the achievements of the moderninformation and communication technologies. The role of the e-government is to answer therequirements of the business and the public for qualitative and easy accessible administrativeservices. Setting up of an electronic government is called for also by the need to curbcorruption practices. The services will be provided in a manner, place and time convenient forthe public and the business. Apart from the traditional communication channels all newenvironments and devices will be used, for example, the one-stop-shop service.In accordance with the Law for the Electronic Document and Electronic Signature(Promulgated in SG, issue 34 dated on 6 April 2001, in force since as of 7 October 2001,subsequent amendments SG issue 80/2006.), the electronic document is an electronicstatement written on a magnetic, optic, or other carrier enabling reproduction. The writtenform shall be considered complied with if an electronic document is compiled. The electronicstatement shall be considered received if the addressee confirms the receipt.• Protection of competition:The Law on Protection of Competition is fully harmonized with the European legislation in thesphere of competition with regard to the prohibited agreements, abuse of monopolistic anddominant positions in the market and concentration of economic activities.• Resolving commercial disputes:The problem with the judicial reform dates back to the beginning of the transition period andirrespective of the enormous efforts in this area considerable progress is not perceived. Thelatest sociological surveys of leading Bulgarian agencies report a very low level of trust of theentrepreneurs in the judicial system. The low level of trust in courts may be overcome bydistributing out-of-court mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes. Despite the apparentadvantages of these mechanisms their application currently is very limited as they areunknown among the business and the citizens. The first steps are taken for recognizingmediation as a procedure for out-of-court dispute settlement. The Law on Mediation(Promulgated, SG, issue 110 as of 17 December 2004) was passed together with threeimplementing regulations. Uniform Register of Mediators was set up.• Public procurementThe good knowledge of and the strict compliance with the Public Procurement Law (PPL) is ofextreme importance as by its procedures considerable cash flows are distributed.• Improvement of the tax and insurance legislation30