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

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 Lovech on Monday. The event was part of BTA's "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills" project.

Lovech is a symbol of the Bulgarians' cult of knowledge, which makes Bulgaria an example in Europe, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. He pointed out that Lovech is part of the joint national and European conversations organized by BTA thanks to the National Press Club that was opened in town on May 11, 2021, namely the day of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, which is a holiday in Lovech. Valchev recalled that it was in Lovech on May 11, 1901, that the song Advance, Regenerated People (less popular by its official name Hymn to Sts Cyril and Methodius) was performed for the first time as a festive hymn praising the work of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and of Bulgarian education. 

Lovech is developing, there is a desire for new knowledge, for attracting new investments, which are important for every Bulgarian town, said Lovech Regional Governor Dora Stoyanova. She noted that the topic of knowledge set in this way is extremely comprehensive, as knowledge can be related to history, arts, culture, languages, cuisine, tourism and everything that the participants at Monday's forum will share, adding that it will be related to new knowledge about Lovech Municipality.

Lovech Mayor Stratsimir Petkov said that in recent years and especially with the arrival of the current administration, Lovech has begun to establish serious international contacts. He pointed out that the ambassadors of Germany and France were guests of Lovech at the opening of the first Twin Towns Festival in 2024, which may grow into a Twin Towns and Friends Festival. He also noted that Lovech and the town of Kolasin from Montenegro are twin towns and that there is an honorary consulate of Montenegro here.

Teteven Municipality has invested over BGN 5.5 million in educational infrastructure in recent years, Teteven Mayor Madlena Boyadzhieva said. “I think that education is a priority for every municipality and this has been the case for a long time. The very fact that the majority of the municipalities’ budget goes to education, concretely about 60% of the funds for activities delegated by the state, means that this is also a state goal, not only of the local government,” Boyadzhieva pointed out. She noted that no matter how insufficient financial resources are, municipalities always find an opportunity to improve the material base of the educational infrastructure, emphasizing that the two large secondary schools in Teteven Municipality have been completely renovated with European funds. 

Dr. Ivanichka Burovska, head of the Regional Education Department in Lovech, said that a very important condition of the quality of education is that the educational environment meets the needs of young people. She pointed out that the entire region is about to gradually open STEM centres. "In order to talk about competencies, about transforming knowledge into skills, children must learn by doing and through experience. What they touch with their hands, they visualize and leave a lasting mark in their consciousness, while theory alone cannot bring them skills and competencies," she pointed out. Burovska emphasized that an important point is the inclusion of children from a very early age in kindergarten, adding that attracting parents as active partners is also of great importance.

During the current programming period, Lovech Municipality will continue to implement activities related to improving the educational infrastructure, said Svilen Andreev, Director of the Projects, Programmes and Investments Directorate in the Municipality. He noted that two projects have already started to be implemented, the first of which is related to the reconstruction of the building of a secondary school in order to increase its energy efficiency. The planned activities also include the renovation of a room for the subsequent construction of a STEM centre. "There are currently seven such centres under construction, and perhaps the eighth will be there," Andreev pointed out, adding that the project is worth BGN 2.4 million and has a completion period of 35 months.

In Lovech Region, 66 projects have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented with EU funding for the 2021-2027 programming period, said Regional Information Centre Expert Mariana Bandrova. She added that the total value of the projects is over BGN 58 million, of which the grant financial support is over BGN 51 million, and that there are 53 beneficiaries. 39 contracts with a total value of BGN 14 million are under the Human Resources Development Programme, while three contracts worth nearly BGN 1 million are under the Education Programme. Bandrova stated that under the Food and Basic Material Provision Programme, there are six projects worth over BGN 3 million, and under the Environment Programme, three projects are being implemented or are in the process of being implemented for a total of BGN 28 million. There is one contract under the Technical Assistance Programme, worth over BGN 850,000, and 14 contracts for the current programming period, worth BGN 11.6 are implemented under the Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises Programme.

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.