site.btaUPDATED BTA Director General: Montana Trying to Offer Residents Good Living Conditions, So They Do Not Look Elsewhere in Europe

With European and Bulgarian investments, which include state and municipal funds, the modern town of Montana is trying to offer its residents good living conditions, so that they do not look for these elsewhere in Europe, BTA Director General said at a local conference, part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project here on Monday.

He emphasised that the current conference is organized on the day of the anniversary of Montana receiving the status of a modern town in 1891, by decree of the then Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.

"This is an occasion to note, in the context of the search for more knowledge about cohesion policies in the EU, that the understanding of the modern town is one of the things that bind us together in Europe," Valchev stressed. He said that this is why a large part of the EU money under various programmes is aimed precisely at the development of common spaces and shared transport and utility infrastructure, as well as a cleaner environment in towns, adding that Montana itself is an example of such development.   

He said that alongside the news about the capital Sofia and cities with a population of hundreds of thousands of people, the news from towns like Montana should also be broadcast, so their residents can feel part of the Bulgarian community and part of the European one and see reasons to stay in Bulgaria.

"In these conferences, however, we are trying to present not only the contribution of Europeans to Bulgaria, but also the Bulgarian contribution to Europe", Valchev pointed out. In his words, communal living is a contribution of Bulgarians in the EU, where there is a lot of alienation between people. He noted that in Bulgarian towns there are close-knit communities a much greater extent than elsewhere in Europe, which is one of the meanings of the ancient Greek word "polis" - the prototype of the modern European city. 

"We Bulgarians know how to be together in our families, with our neighbours, with our fellow citizens and this impresses visitors to our country, including from a number of European countries, especially from Western and Northern Europe, where interpersonal ties are much weaker," he emphasised, adding that this is especially evident on holidays, such as today in Montana. He was categorical that this skill of the Bulgarians, to communicate with understanding and emotion with each other, should give Bulgarians self-confidence. "And for Bulgarian politicians, it can also be a good example of how Bulgarians can achieve more together, as the political leaders of Kutlovitsa managed to convince Prince Ferdinand to grant town status to their settlement," Valchev concluded.

Through this initiative, BTA aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. Between November 2024 and September 2025, BTA will host discussions at its press clubs 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.