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For the past six years, rule of law has declined in nearly 4 out of 5 countries – including the United States – according to surveys by the World Justice Project. Yet in 2023, one country has notably bucked this trend: Bulgaria. Once dubbed the most corrupt member of the European Union, the Black Sea nation of 7 million people ranked first this year in making the most progress in reforms such as greater equality before the law.

Why Bulgaria? After mass protests in 2020 and 2021 against corruption, the country went through five elections in two years. Last spring, the upswelling of public support for honest governance finally brought an anti-graft party, We Continue the Change, to power. Party co-leader Kiril Petkov promised “ministers who will work for Bulgaria without stealing."

Since then, many prosecutors deemed corrupt have been fired. Constitutional reforms in the judiciary are in the works. There is now more competition for the promotion of judges. Legal aid for defendants has expanded.

The new government has ushered in greater transparency. In October, after an inspection of major roads, it said 50% had been built with deficient materials. Another probe found delays and violations in more than 70 proceedings against officials.

By September, the European Commission decided to end its special monitoring of Bulgaria for meeting EU legal standards, citing progress in anti-corruption measures and judicial reform. That decision comes as more Bulgarians are eager for the EU to allow them visa-free travel and to have their country join the eurozone.

Despite the world’s downward trend in rule of law, Bulgaria has shown what can happen when more citizens, as one survey found last year, “believe that by their own actions they can change things for the better.” Such progress in rule of law points to the possibility of a universal law of progress for all nations.