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

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

Targovishte has been preserving and developing the traditions of European trading centres for centuries, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. He pointed out that the opening of the 246th traditional spring fair in Targovishte is a proof of this, adding that it is a tradition that is associated with the restored fairs that existed in Antiquity and in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. "That is why BTA is signing an agreement today with the Targovishte Municipality for a partnership for the town's cultural calendar, including the established remarkable market fair in May," Valchev noted. He emphasized that Targovishte has been a place of trade for millennia, beginning from the Stone Age and used afterwards by the Thracians, the Romans, the first and second Bulgarian kingdoms and the Ottoman Empire. Valchev also noted that Eski Dzhumaya, as Targovishte was known, has always been a town of various crafts, hence why in 1934 the town was renamed to Targovishte, from the Bulgarian root of the word for trade - targ.

Targovishte Deputy Regional Governor Gergana Tsoneva said that regardless of the differences and challenges of the times, knowledge can be that sustainable bridge that connects Bulgarian communities, regions and countries of the Balkans with a united Europe. She pointed out that the Targovishte holiday, which is celebrated on the same day as the conference, is important because the Regional Administration cares very much about the town and wants it to become an increasingly beautiful, more flourishing town. "And this is a day when we can congratulate ourselves on all the successes we have achieved. No success comes by itself. It comes when it is backed up by efforts and, above all, by knowledge," Tsoneva emphasized.

Targovishte has always been a trading centre for Northeastern Bulgaria, Targovishte Mayor Darin Dimitrov said. He recalled the history of the 246th Spring Fair here, stating that the ancient city of Misionis also began as a trade centre. Dimitrov added that in 2022 on this day the BTA National Press Club was opened in Targovishte. "For me, BTA developed itself in these years as a corrective of the truthful information. When our fellow citizens read something on social networks, they can check the true information, for which I thank you very much," Dimitrov stressed. He stated that Targovishte must develop and will develop, adding that the Municipality is working on many projects, among which he noted those for the industrial zone, the renovation of housing blocks and the renovation of schools and a kindergarten. 

The grant under the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth in the Targovishte Region for the programming period 2014-2020 amounts to nearly BGN 800,000, Regional Information Centre Manager Peyo Berov said. He added that five contracts have been concluded under the programme and emphasized that the programme includes the implementation of integrated measures to improve access to education, educational integration of students from ethnic minorities, and increasing the capacity of pedagogical specialists to work in a multicultural environment.

Three schools and a kindergarten in Targovishte will be completely renovated with a total of BGN 13 million under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, said Petya Stoyanova, expert at Targovishte Municipality. She noted that the Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Secondary School is undergoing major renovation under a project worth about BGN 4.4 million adding that so far, energy-saving measures have been implemented, such as installing thermal insulation on external walls, roof and floor, replacing old joinery, as well as lighting. The building has also undergone internal renovation. "By the end of the project, a rooftop photovoltaic power plant will be installed and all adjacent pavements around the building will be repaired," Stoyanova emphasized.

Todorka Taneva, Chief Secretary of the Targovishte Regional Administration, said that a local project implementing the renewed priorities of the European Adult Learning Agenda is a good example of how European policies can be successfully implemented at local level, with real benefits for residents. She stated that the two-year project of the Education and Science Ministry has been implemented in four pilot regions in the country, which are Targovishte, Burgas, Silistra and Vratsa. Its main goal is to develop and test a model for shared commitment between all stakeholders, namely institutions, educational organizations, business and cultural institutes, to improve qualifications and promote lifelong learning among adults.

Addressing the conference, curator Miroslav Georgiev of the local history museum highlighted the importance of developing the medieval rock monastery near Krepcha, Targovishte Region, as a tourist site. He briefed the participants on the historical importance of the monastery, which draws visitors with its earliest known Cyrillic inscriptions. 

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.