18 September, 2008
On 25-26 September, 2008 the initiative “Days of mediation” will take place in the town of Bourgas, where Mrs. Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder, president of BILI Foundation, will deliver a lecture on the topic ”Mediation in civil and commercial disputes - analysis of the new EU directive”. The event is organized by the National association of mediators in cooperation with the Institute of conflict resolution, German foundation for international legal cooperation, Union of jurists in Bulgaria – Bourgas, Regional consultative center on mediation and the kind assistance of Bourgas municipality. Furthermore, the event is part of the EU campaign for promotion of mediation practices in compliance with the requirements of certain EU, CE and UN international acts.
The aim of the initiative is to promote and raise awareness among citizens as to this new, but at the same time, quite efficient means of conflict resolution. The agenda of the “Days of mediation” includes scientific track, professional meetings and discussions, provision of information to the wider public and promotional mediation services.
Participants are expected to be numerous MPs, representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of interior, courts, prosecution and investigation offices, NGOs, active mediators, domestic and international scholars.


7 December, 2007
Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives Foundation (BILI) and the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (also knows as ABA CEELI) signed a Letter of Cooperation. The main goal of the Letter is to continue and deepen the cooperation between ABA CEELI and BILI Foundation, the latter being the spin off organization of the ABA CEELI programme for Bulgaria. The Letter aims not only at preserving the legal reform projects implemented through the years by ABA CEELI, but also at creating new possibilities for further legal reform in the light of Bulgaria’s EU membership. In addition to this, part of the Letter of Cooperation includes BILI’s commitment to support future spin-off organizations that might emerge after the close of ABA ROLI offices and to export the Bulgarian expertise in the rule of law field to other countries in transition.

5 December, 2007
Mrs. Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder, Chair of the MB of Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives Foundation was elected to serve on the Central Europe and Eurasian Law Initiative -Middle East and North Africa (CEELI-MENA) Advisory Board. The Advisory Board provides strategic advice and guidance to the American Bar Association’s work and mission of promoting the rule of law worldwide.


26 October, 2007
USAID Acting Administrator Mrs. Henrietta Fore sent a thank you letter to Hristo Ivanov, member of BILI's Managing Board. She expresses therein her pleasure from his emotional speech during the USAID Closeout Ceremony in Bulgaria on 10 October, 2007. Mrs. Fore particularly enjoyed Hristo's observations about his first encounters with Americans. In addtion, the USAID Acting Administrator agrees that ultimately it is people, not institutions and programmes, who bring about change in society.

12 October, 2007

Hristo Ivanov, member of BILI's Managing Board, attorney-at-law and NGOs sector expert, was invited as a keynote speaker at the USAID Closeout ceremony in Bulgaria. The ceremony was held on 10 October, 2007 at Kempinski Hotel Zografski and was attended by many Bulgarian and foreign policy-makers, NGOs, business and media representatives. Other keynote speakers were also Bulgarian minister of administration and administrative reform Nikolay Vasilev, USAID Acting Administrator Henrietta Fore, US Ambassador John Beyrle, USAID Mission Director Michael Fritz, CEE Trust Executive Direct Rayna Gavrilova and Citigroup Director Stefan Ivanov.

The event highlighted the main achievements of USAID after 17 years of assistance and an investment of more than 600 million dollars, where embracing the future U.S. - Bulgaria relationship with Bulgaria as a member of the European union.

You could read Hristo's speech here(only in Bulgarian).

11 September, 2007
Ministry of Justice prepares Action Plan of Judicial Reform in cooperation with NGOs
The European Commission will draft “interim reports” on Bulgaria’s and Romania’s progress in the field of Justice and home affairs, which will be announced in January 2008, so the spokesperson of the EC Mr. Mark Gray.
According to him the two countries should draft “action plans” on this field, which shall be introduced at the EC relatively soon, by the end of October.
Following on this and the words of the Minister of Justice Mrs. Miglena Tacheva, who said earlier that an action plan should be drafted by the end of October, the Ministry of Justice has prepared the first draft of such an “action plan” targeting the reform in the judicial system. The plan was developed in cooperation with representatives from the NGO sector. You could download the first draft here.
Comments and suggestions should be sent to Mrs. Mitka Zaharlieva from the Ministry of Justice at mitka@justice.government.bg as well as to Mrs. Ivanka Ivanova – Director of the Legal programme at the Open Society Institute at info@osi.bg and iivanova@osi.bg
Deadline for submitting the comments – September 14, 2007!

05 September, 2007
The Head of the Managing Board of Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives Mrs. Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder was invited to participate in the first European Mediation Conference, which will take place in Vienna during the period of September 27-29, 2007 (EMC I). The conference has been designed not only as a unique opportunity for mediators and for organisations, public and private institutions as well as for individuals to particpate in a dialogue with mediators representing close to all European countries, but also as a starting point for the further formation of the EUROPEAN MEDIATION NETWORK INITIATIVE.
Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder will be one of the presenters on the panel-session “Developments in conflict resolution in South Eastern Europe”. Bilyana will be presenting together with representatives from Serbia, Moldova and the United States.

For further information you can visit the official website of the conference at: www.europemediation.eu


6 August, 2007
BILI - “A new, vibrant, energetic Bulgarian organization carrying on the work that we did”
William Meyer, accepting the Rule of Law Award to Pro Bono Volunteers, during the ABA ROLI Awards Presentation Ceremony at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.


Between Aug. 6 and 17 BILI Board members Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder Todor Dotchev and Hristo Ivanov traveled to the USA on invitation of Rule of Law Initiative of the American Bar Association to make a presentation to the Board of the Europe and Eurasia Program (also known as CEELI) during the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association in San Francisco. BILI leadership also visited Washington DC and New York City for meetings with partners and donors.

BILI presented their experience in creating an ABA/CEELI spin-off organization to the CEELI Board as well as the outcomes of the First CEE ROL Symposium in Sofia and the other Rule of Law initiatives of the Institute. Board members were particularly interested in the efforts of BILI to work with the business and in the possibilities of replicating the example of BILI in other countries where CEELI offices are being closed.

Also during the ABA Annual Meeting BILI board members attended the ABA ROLI Awards Presentation Ceremony at which the ABA Rule of Law Award was presented to the US Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer, and the Award to Pro Bono Volunteers went to the first ABA/CEELI liaison to Bulgaria, and indeed the first one ever, William Meyer. In his speech Mr. Meyer spoke of BILI as a success story, an “vibrant and energetic” organization “which is doing tremendous work in Bulgaria” made of “layers carrying on the work that we did and moving forward the ideals that we’ve all pursued”. A video of his remarks can be seen online at: http://www.abavideonews.org/ABA435/av.php?id=15&type=v

In Washington DC and New York BILI had a number of very productive meetings with representatives of partner organizations including, USAID, World Bank, the National Center for State Courts, consultancies, university research institutions. The representatives of the Institute also met with the Bulgarian Ambassador to the USA H.E. Ms. Elena Poptodorova.