site.btaUPDATED BTA's Europe on Balkans Conference Held in Thessaloniki

Representatives of various sectors who have worked on projects supported by the EU Cohesion Policy discussed the latest developments in the cohesion policy of the European Union for the period 2021-2027 and the results achieved in the period 2014-2020 during a cross-border conference at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Thessaloniki on Wednesday. The event was part of BTA's "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills" project.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said that the Greek and the Bulgarian alphabets are the greatest contribution of Greeks and Bulgarians to Europe. He emphasized that the Greek alphabet and the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet were added to the one alphabet of the remaining 25 countries in the EU, namely the Latin alphabet. "That is why today at this conference we preferred to have our rich languages ​​sound symbolic, without the need for the mediation of the English language," Valchev said. "It was the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, born in Thessaloniki with Slavic blood, who created the strongest connection between today's Bulgarians and Greeks, namely knowledge," Valchev stressed, adding that the Bulgarian alphabet became the first Christian alphabet in the EU, as the other two alphabets were created during pagan times.

BTA and the Greek news agency ANA-MPA are among the most important journalistic organizations in the region, said ANA-MPA President Emilios Perdikaris. He emphasized that surely they can become better through this cooperation, as it is starting to spread within the framework of various European projects. "We should not create the impression that we are simply participating in these projects just to get funding from the EU, but to connect the projects with productivity and culture. Such meetings and initiatives are always important and useful and are not just for those present. They are useful for the peoples of our countries," Perdikaris stressed, adding that it is the second time he participates in such an event, and this shows the relationship that exists between the two countries and agencies.

Bulgarian Consul General in Thessaloniki Anton Markov said that Bulgaria and Greece have shown how relations between two Balkan countries should develop. Markov thanked BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and the news agency for their very active role in the development of relations between the Balkan countries, which is very important today. He emphasized that as partners in NATO and the EU, both countries have shown how relations between two Balkan countries, which have a very long history over the years, should develop.

The Interreg programme promotes equality in education and the prevention of social exclusion, contributes to cooperation between schools and universities and aims to develop common educational strategies and tools, said Aphroditi Lioliou from the Managing Authority of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes INTERREG. "Through all the programmes in which we participate as a managing authority, we also support those in the field of education that relate to the topic of cohesion," Lioliou pointed out. She noted that Interreg is an instrument for political and economic cohesion, education, qualification and their accessibility. The programme concerns educational institutions and contributes to strengthening the quality and accessibility of education, especially in regions that, due to their geographical location, have certain weaknesses, she pointed out.

Thessaloniki is home to three major universities and one major research centre with over 150,000 students and researchers, said Maria Goulaptsi, Head of the Innovation Support Department of the Greek region of Central Macedonia. She emphasized that this means that the field of innovation and research is very important for the region. The main instrument for the development of the region is the Operational Programme Regions in Growth 2014-2020, with its first axis relating to the support of business and innovation, Goulaptsi pointed out, adding that startups from Bulgaria can receive support if they transfer their headquarters to Central Macedonia and develop their activities there.

In recent years, the University of Economics in Varna has been trying to encourage student entrepreneurship, said Assoc. Prof. Desislava Serafimova. "We are trying to create skills in students for social entrepreneurship, generating their own ideas related to sustainability, responsible business, which could subsequently be developed as an entrepreneurial project and seek funding opportunities", she noted, adding that the university purposefully includes students and doctoral candidates in almost all of its projects. "We work very actively with representatives of local business and the public sector, because we seek synergy from the interaction between representatives of academia, business, the public sector and non-governmental organizations," Serafimova also emphasized.

Greek universities have embraced internationalization and are entering a phase of openness in their development at the European level, said Prof. George Siakas from the Democritus University of Thrace. "The question is not what your job is, but what you can do, what your skills are. Today, with ChatGPT and AI, this is even more important. We must either be excellent or nothing will be achieved," Siakas commented. He noted that the Democritus University of Thrace participated in 11 projects during the last programming period within the INTERREG Greece - Bulgaria programme, adding that about 40% of the projects relate to skills and qualifications, the others to the environment, tourism, and many more.

Achieving energy transition requires innovative ideas, which universities can provide, said Prof. Nicolaos Theodossiou of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Theodossiou, who is the Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Networks (SDSN) - Black Sea and a member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, emphasized that the Aristotle University has been offering a postgraduate programme in environmental protection for over 25 years. He pointed out that the programme is one of the few that has survived for so long, which shows its importance. He presented the United Nations Climate Action Network and stressed that the energy transition is the greatest challenge of our time. 

The South-West University Neofit Rilski in Blagoevgrad is working on many projects related to digitalization, sustainability and innovation, said Professor Radostina Yuleva from the Faculty of Economics at the university. Yuleva pointed out that sustainability is an extremely popular and discussed topic not only in universities, but also in society. She recalled that in the last few years, the Faculty of Economics has managed to encourage all fourth-year students to join the Plant a Tree, Leave a Trace initiative. "The university participates in an exceptional number of projects with different themes and directions. Some are aimed at the inclusion of students, young scientists, doctoral candidates with different needs", she emphasized.

On Wednesday, students from the South-West University Neofit Rilski in Blagoevgrad and the University of Economics in Varna, who took part in BTA's project in the Greek city after winning the hackathons organized by BTA in Varna and Blagoevgrad, visited Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Addressing the Bulgarian guests, Professor Grigorios Zarotiadis from the university noted that although it is not the oldest, Aristotle University is the largest and most prominent university in Thessaloniki (with some 55,000 students). “The university covers all academic disciplines. We strive to become increasingly internationalized,” Zarotiadis added.

Dimitra Mentekidou, head of the International Relations Department at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told the visiting students that the university collaborates with nine hospitals, where students can receive training. Mentekidou gave the Bulgarian students an overview of the university’s main campus, which has around 2,000 faculty members and 1,000 Erasmus+ students.

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.