ECORYS is very proud to celebrate its 15th anniversary in Bulgaria. The first to come into the country was the Netherlands Economic Institute (NEI, the Netherlands), an economic research and advisory organisation with a decades-long tradition supporting economies in transition. Some years later ECOTEC, another member of The ECORYS Group and one of the most prominent economic consultancy companies in the UK, has helped the European Commission to monitor and evaluate its PHARE Programme in Bulgaria.

ECORYS has witnessed the enormous economic and social transformation that Bulgaria has gone through on its way to the European Union. We are proud to have contributed to this change process with more than 80 projects. Almost all ministries and their agencies have been our clients. In recent years ECORYS has put substantial efforts to support the national development and operational planning in view of the requirements of the EU for full membership. Special attention was placed on the support to the institutions responsible for the management of EU Structural Funds, including capacity building and human resource development. ECORYS is determined to continue supporting Bulgaria in all its efforts to become an advanced member of the European family.

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary we would like to thank all our clients, strategic partners, international and bilateral donors for their co-operation. We would also like to thank all these colleagues from The ECORYS Group who have worked with dedication in Bulgaria.

Variety and depth
ECORYS has been extremely privileged to have the opportunity to work for many clients and with strategic partners in a wide variety of areas in Bulgaria. For all the 15 years of its presence in Bulgaria ECORYS has been active in fields such as:

• Management of Structural Funds 
• Programme budgeting
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship 
• Strategy and institution development
• Regional development  
• Transport policies 
• Social policies 
• Water management 
• Monitoring and Evaluation 
• Impact assessment, feasibility studies and cost-benefit analysis 
• Public Private Partnership

In order to be able to support a country in so many areas, one has to go into the depth of the matter and get to know the country better. Many ECORYS colleagues have followed the economic and social development of Bulgaria in details for years. This gives us the confidence that ECORYS can continue its successful support to Bulgaria’s economic and social development in the future.

Bridge between Bulgaria and the European Union
ECORYS has gone through the very exciting years of Bulgaria preparing for its EU membership. ECORYS' journey that started many years ago in Portugal and Spain, later on in the countries of Central Europe and that continued in Bulgaria and Romania, has provided us with many experiences and lessons on the EU accession process. Our research-based policy advice to the European Commission throughout the years of ECORYS’ existence provides us with solid knowledge in EU affairs. The combination of knowledge and skills from the EU decision making bodies in Brussels and from individual Member States makes us one of the front running consultancy companies that can bridge the specific situation of Bulgaria with EU realities.

Moving forward!
Based on its 15 years experience it has been a very logical decision for ECORYS to launch an operating company in Bulgaria in 2006. ECORYS South East Europe (SEE) will primarily serve the national market. However, the recent developments on the Balkans have added an additional dimension to ECORYS SEE. It will extend further ECORYS’ activities towards the candidate countries next in line to join the EU. ECORYS carries out about 30 projects in the EU enlargement area each year. This makes the region one of the most intensive markets for The ECORYS Group. At present the focus is on regional development in Croatia, while in Macedonia, key contributions are made in human resources development for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). During 2006 and 2007, wide-ranging projects have been undertaken including economic policy development in Bosnia Herzegovina, motorway development in Albania, and SME development in Serbia. Public Private Partnership has taken a special place in the transfer of knowledge and best practice in many of the countries in the EU enlargement area. The implementation of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) will be our next challenge in the region.

ECORYS South East Europe will continue the developments of ECORYS built in Bulgaria to date, working for government and non-government organisations. The work of ECORYS SEE will be especially challenged by the need Bulgaria to develop its full potential as a EU member state. We can offer our variety of consultancy services and products, many of them described in this brochure, by involving professionals from almost all EU member states. The large network of associates we have developed during all these years in Bulgaria can be mobilized whenever it is necessary.

Bulgaria will continue to be one of the important countries for The ECORYS Group. Based on our 15 years of presence in the country we are confident that ECORYS will broaden its client base and number of services. We are committed to serve both the public and the private sector and maintain the research-based nature of the consultancy we provide. We will diverse into regions and municipalities and will help beneficiaries of EU Structural Funds to be successful applicants.

Most of all ECORYS commits itself to high quality service and will ensure that it serves as an example of corporate ethical behaviour.

Selected ECORYS projects in Bulgaria

• National Strategy for scientific and technological development and innovation and a Programme for its implementation (phase 1 and 2)
• Implementation of the mid-term strategy for the Ministry of Finance
• Support to the Operational Programme “Administrative Capacity” and capacity building of the Ministry of State Administration and Administrative Reform
• Development of National Transport Plan
• Monitoring of FM 2003 and 2004 Grant Schemes in Bulgaria
• Provision of services for Project BG 2004/016-919.05 Support for participation of the Republic of Bulgaria in Community Initiative Interreg III B (CADSES) and Interreg III C Programme. 
• Ex-ante evaluation of the sectoral Operational Programme “Human resources development” within the Bulgarian National Development Plan 2007-2013 
• Institution Building on Investment in High-technology Business Incubator, Provision of Technical Assistance for the launching and monitoring of R&D grant scheme
• Strategic Planning and Change Management for the National Revenue Agency
• Marketing support for the promotion of Foreign Direct Investment in Bulgaria
• Support to a number of institutions of the standardization, metrology and accreditation infrastructure in their EU pre-accession efforts to implement EU directives
• Strengthening Bulgaria’s private sector for Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development
• Study on trade barriers for Bulgarian companies on the EU market (with BCCI)
• Management Training Programme for Bulgaria (with number of universities)
• Business plans for energy distribution branches of the Bulgarian National Electricity Company (NEC)
• Integrated approach to production and marketing of organic cheese in Bulgaria
• Centralised Interim Evaluation Facility for the EU Pre-accession Programmes in Bulgaria and Romania
• Evaluation Service for the PHARE Programme
• Technical assistance to ensure transboundary groundwater management using the Water Framework Directive and Groundwater Directive
• Analyses and economic argumentation of programmes of measures included in the River Basin Management Plan
• Bulgaria Development of National Waste Management Program 2008-2012
• Support Bulgaria and Romania to improve the capacity in environment and transport projects
• Institutional Support to Bulgarian Ministry of Finance in context of preparation for Structural Funds

ECORYS clients in Bulgaria

Ministries and Governmental Agencies:

• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Economy and Energy
• Ministry of State Administration and Administrative Reform
• Ministry of Transport
• Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works
• Ministry of Environment and Water
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• National Revenue Agency
• Bulgarian Metrology Institute
• State Agency of Metrology and Technical Surveillance
• Bulgarian Investment Agency
• Agency for SME Promotion
• Bulgarian Accreditation Services

Other clients from the public sector:

• EC Delegation to Bulgaria 
• International Financial Institutions – The World Bank, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IFC
• UNDP
• Agency for International Business and Cooperation (EVD), The Netherlands
• MATRA Programme, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands
• Technical universities in Bulgaria

Partners (selected list):

• Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development
• Institute for Transport and Communication
• Bulgarian Economic Forum
• Bulgarian Industrial Association
• Foundation for Local Government Reform
• Club Ikonomika 2000
• Applied Research and Communications Fund