site.btaBTA's Europe on Balkans Conference Held in Vratsa

Representatives of various sectors who have worked on projects supported by the EU Cohesion Policy participated in a conference at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Vratsa on Tuesday. The event was part of BTA's "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills" project.

Regional Information Centre Manager Tsvetana Ivanova said that a total of 76 projects have been funded under the STEM Environment and High-Tech Classrooms in Schools project in Vratsa Region, aimed at increasing students' interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as creating innovative teaching methods in the region. She pointed out that the total amount paid under the project is over BGN 12 million, adding that the funds paid under the Operational Programme Education and Smart Growth 2014-2020 are over BGN 3 million in Vratsa Region. The total value of the agreed funds under the programme Research, Innovation and Digitalization for Smart Transformation is over BGN 4 million, while the funds under the Operational Programme Human Resources Development amount to BGN 200,000, Ivanova noted.

Vratsa Region is among the few regions in Bulgaria that have developed a strategy for the development of school and preschool education for 2023-2027, said Loreta Koleva, Director of the Regional Department of Education in Vratsa. It can be said that the projects of the Education and Science Ministry under the Education programme have a clearly expressed meaning and benefits for the education system on the territory of Vratsa Region, she emphasized. For Vratsa Region, the projects with European funding aimed at ensuring equal access to preschool and school education and the inclusion of children and students from vulnerable groups in the educational process are filled with great meaning and content, Koleva stressed.

Vratsa Labour Bureau Director Violeta Andreeva said that currently, three projects are aimed at training employed, unemployed and inactive people in Vratsa Region. These citizens can participate through the voucher system under projects financed under the Human Resources Development Programme 2021-2027 and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, she noted. The Digital Competence trainings are aimed at registered unemployed and employed people who have a low level or no digital skills, Andreeva pointed out, adding that eligible forms of training are face-to-face, distance or blended. So far, 1,420 applications have been processed for the town of Vratsa, with 74 persons included in the training, she underscored.

Students from the Natural Sciences and Mathematics High School in Vratsa presented solutions for food security, sustainable agriculture and clean drinking water through the use of nuclear technologies. The students are participants in the fourth European Nuclear Energy Competition for Secondary Schools, organized by the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN), and are ranked among the 15 finalists out of 132 participating teams. “We can boast that we are the only ones sending not one, but two teams from the school. There is also a very strong team from Kozloduy and we are very happy to be able to meet them,” еleventh grader Katerina Miroslavova said, adding that Bulgaria actively participates in such projects and that their mentor and teacher Pepa Pavlova was awarded Best Nuclear Science Teacher by ENEN a few years ago.

An exhibition showing good practices and results of the European funds invested under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan was presented by Maria Panayotova, head of the Europe Direct - Vratsa Centre at the Vratsa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The exhibition was made in 2023 and toured Northwestern Bulgaria just as the COVID-19 pandemic was ending. At that time, it showed entrepreneurs that it is possible to use time to modernize their production even in such a crisis, Panayotova pointed out. The total number of contracts under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in Vratsa is currently 91, with a total 68 beneficiaries and a total gross financial assistance of over BGN 58 million, she noted, adding that the total value of these 91 contracts is nearly BGN 70 million.

BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. Cross-border conferences will be held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.