site.bta2024 Programme for Support of Expat Bulgarians' Communities, Organizations, Initiatives Adopted

Meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers adopted a Programme for Support of Bulgarian Communities, Organizations and Initiatives of Bulgarians Abroad in 2024 and approved additional spending on the Foreign Ministry budget.

The Programme targets maintaining steady contacts with Bulgarian citizens and Bulgarian communities abroad and assisting their structures, organizations and media to cope with information and communication challenges and create an improved environment and resilience for their development.

The focus of the Programme is on support for projects of traditional Bulgarian communities, organizations and media in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. Financing will be available for courses, training events, lectures, creation of digital content, podcasts, information portals (video, audio, charts, visualization, quizzes, online platforms and cooperation networks in fact checks and combating disinformation and fake news; initiatives targeting enhancement of media literacy and public resilience and intransigence to fake news, disinformation and external interference and manipulation of information

The BGN 200,000 required for the Programme are planned in the 2024 State Budget Act. The funding will be provided to Bulgarian organizations and media abroad on a project basis through the overseas representations of the Republic of Bulgaria.