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

Representatives of various sectors who have worked on projects supported by the EU Cohesion Policy participated in a conference at the in the Maxim Hall in the BTA building in Sofia on Friday. The event was part of BTA's "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills" project.

Sofia is one of the educational centres of Europe, a city of educated young people and people who are ready to work and improve themselves continuously, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. He pointed out that a large part of the country’s population lives here, adding that the name of the city is not a sculpture in the centre, but this is the city of God’s wisdom. Valchev also noted that if he had to write on a blank sheet of paper what Europe is, it is the Europeans, the people, not just a territory. "Because for millennia it was the people of Europe with the civilization they created that reached what we have today on the European continent," he stressed.

For more than 70 years, Europe has been a symbol of peace, unity, tolerance, knowledge and sharing of valuable experience, said Tsvetan Spasov, Head of the Managing Authority of the Human Resources Development Programme. "Europe belongs to the Europeans, but the Europeans are us. We have the self-confidence that we have given Europe culture, history, technological solutions. The future of Europe depends on us Europeans and we must not give up", he emphasized. "The key is the knowledge and teachings that we must develop", he added.

Desislava Zhelyazkova, Director of the Education Directorate at Sofia Municipality said that the most important thing that the European Union has given Bulgaria is knowledge. "Knowledge of what is happening in other countries, the opportunity to make comparisons, the opportunity to determine the model we want to follow", she pointed out. "The knowledge that the EU has given us allows us to want more convincingly, to know that the things that are happening in Europe are not impossible. Thus, we have begun to perceive ourselves as a more fully-fledged member of the EU, because we want it to be like that here too and for this to happen more and more quickly," Zhelyazkova emphasized.

Europe is culture, education, solidarity, partnership and shared values, said Ivan Popov, Executive Director of the Education Programme Executive Agency. "Today is an important day, namely Europe Day, but we are also on the eve of May 24, the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius and of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture and of Slavic Literature", he noted, adding that it is good to take stock of what Bulgaria receives as a member of the European Union for the country's education, but also what efforts Bulgaria makes in order to be able to reach the highest achievements in this area of ​​the European peoples.

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.