site.btaParliament Adopts National Youth Strategy 2021-2030

Parliament adopted a National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 here Tuesday, despite weaknesses pointed out during the debates. The document is expected to be updated later. The strategy was supported by 130 MPs, 25 MPs from Vazrazhdane were against and one Democratic Bulgaria MP abstained.

"We will support the strategy, despite the remarks about the document, and we will expect its update soon", said GERB-UDF MP Krasen Kralev, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Children, Youth and Sport. Kralev stressed the need to adopt this strategy, despite its imperfections and in view of the risk not implementing national youth programmes.

Vazrazhdane MP Kosta Stoyanov pointed out that two or three months are not fatal, but will be enough for the respective Ministry to improve the texts and to propose a good strategy in the early days of the 49th National Assembly. 

Ivan Chenchev (BSP for Bulgaria) emphasized the necessity to accept the strategy now, due to the lack of guarantee that it will enter the next Parliament as a first priority.

In the course of the debate it was pointed out that some of the data in the strategy was not up to date and there was no mention of aggression among youth and of dealing with addictions.

The National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 outlines two main areas of importance - creating an environment for socialisation and development in young people's free time and improving of youth organisations' capacity and organisations working with and for young people. The Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science stated in its report that the strategy prioritizes education and skills development, smart industry, digital connectivity, local development, social inclusion, health and sport, cultural diversity and access to culture.