Municipal Council Chairs Hold General Assembly in Plovdiv

Kaloyan Kirilov

In the photo (left to right): Bulgarian News Agency Director General Kiril Valchev, Deputy Chair of the Management Board of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria Ivo Dimov, Chairperson of the National Association of Municipal Council Chairpersons in the Republic of Bulgaria Ventsislav Spiridonov, Plovdiv Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov, Plovdiv Municipal Council Chair Atanas Uzunov, and National Association of Municipal Council Chairpersons in the Republic of Bulgaria Control Board Chair Nikolay Zlatanov, at Radisson Hotel Plovdiv, Plovdiv, April 2, 2026 (BTA Photo/Boyan Botev)

02.04.2026 22:32

(BTA)

Municipal council chairs from across Bulgaria gathered for the 24th general assembly of the National Association of Municipal Council Chairpersons in the Republic of Bulgaria at the Radisson Hotel Plovdiv on Thursday.

Among those attending were Chairperson of the National Association of Municipal Council Chairpersons in the Republic of Bulgaria Ventsislav Spiridonov, Deputy Chair of the Management Board of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria Ivo Dimov, Plovdiv Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov and BTA Director General Kiril Valchev.

During the opening of the general assembly, Dimov said local government needed clear rules, predictable resources and strong representation. He added that none of these three elements came free and that each had to be secured through a clear position, expertise and constant institutional pressure. Dimov also pointed to key changes that directly affected the work of municipal councils and, in turn, municipal administrations.

Valchev presented current statistics on published reports about the work of municipal councils across the country. “We are trying to cover literally every agenda item or group of related items,” he said. He added BTA is making municipal councils in Bulgaria increasingly visible.

The agenda of the general assembly included votes on several items, all of which were approved. The assembly adopted the 2025 activity reports of the association’s Management Board and Control Board. It also adopted, with 86 votes, the association’s annual financial report for last year, as well as its 2026 budget.

At the proposal of Strazhitsa Municipal Council Chair Iliyan Marinov, who is deputy chair of the association’s Management Board, Svishtov Municipal Council Chair Kristian Kirilov was elected a member of the association’s Management Board.

On Friday, the National Association of Municipal Council Chairpersons in the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO) will hold their first joint event, a specialized seminar on obligations to declare property and interests under the BNAO’s new powers.

Experts from the BNAO will take part in the forum and will present the latest requirements arising from the institution’s new powers, as well as the main obligations related to declaring property and interests.

The seminar is expected to cover both the legal changes and the practical aspects of applying the new rules. The forum will focus on issues of high public importance related to transparency, accountability and compliance with legal requirements by people holding public office.

/КТ/