Project for eGOV

My name is Bogomil Karov, and I am a representative of a group of students from Bulgaria studying at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” We are political science students and have initiated a project focused on integrating society into digital governance.
Bulgaria ranks among the last countries in the European Union in terms of digital service usage and is significantly behind in global rankings, despite having relatively good infrastructure. Political willingness to implement this change—such as mandatory use of digital services, the introduction of a unified system for inter-ministerial cooperation, and transparent public access to information—is extremely limited and risky due to the massive level of corruption, one of the highest in the world. In practice, such reforms are nearly impossible under the current conditions.
We are currently developing a conceptual framework consisting of three modular projects:
a historical overview of the development of e-government in Bulgaria;
an institutional and legal analysis, as well as a societal study examining why digital services are not being used, the extent of public distrust in institutions, and other key factors;
a technical analysis.
Each project will include concrete recommendations for reforms and policy changes.
We attempted to contact all ministries; however, the system operates in a way that primarily finances small and medium-sized businesses through personal connections, enabling the distribution of billions annually and their subsequent misappropriation. We do not work with any political parties and have rejected all such proposals.
We contacted 25 embassies, many of which expressed interest and willingness to support the initiative. The challenge is that while they can assist with the exchange of best practices and professional training, they cannot provide funding.
To begin the project, independent funding is required to ensure the team’s autonomy and ability to work objectively. The goal of the project is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of both the past and current state of everything related to digital governance in Bulgaria and to propose reforms with concrete recommendations inspired by the world’s leading countries in this field.
The reports will be presented to ministries and Parliament and will be legitimized through partnerships with supporting states. We are considering establishing a non-governmental organization or working through NGOs led by colleagues who are pursuing similar initiatives.
At present, no such project exists in Bulgaria, nor has one ever existed at an international level. While the project is being developed, a strong public information campaign will be launched through public television, media outlets, podcasts, and influencers, as a large part of society is not even aware of what digital governance actually is. The most important first step is informing citizens in order to create public pressure.
Our government has repeatedly refused offers from partner countries to build complete digital infrastructure free of charge, as such systems would expose significant irregularities. Globally, integrating society into digital governance leads to a substantial reduction in corruption, leaving only corruption at the highest levels. When physical service counters disappear, so does the opportunity for bribery.
These changes would result not only in reduced corruption but also in optimization of public administration, savings of hundreds of millions annually, exposure of economic irregularities, and countless additional benefits.
We have learned that you support initiatives around the world, which further inspired us to reach out to you. If you are interested, we would be happy to present the project concept, the working modules, and the required budgets to demonstrate that our initiative is genuine and serious.
We are supported by our university professors, which can be formally documented, as well as by various embassies. We are prepared to provide all necessary documentation and information.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. We truly believe that we can create real change.
Sincerely,Bogomil Karovemail: mailto:bogomil.karov04@gmail.comphone number: +359 894 681 149