The Regional Information Centre in Blagoevgrad has conducted an information campaign in all 14 municipalities in the region, its manager Biser Mladenov said at a local conference, part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project in Petrich on Thursday.
"Instead of explaining how much money we received, because the figures are available online, we held a meeting where we made young people pay attention to the fact that the school they study in, the street they walk on, are made with EU funds," Mladenov said, adding that they met with over 500 students from the entire region.
He emphasized that people can see the effects of EU funding all around them. "We can see what has happened to the urban environment. This turned out to be quite interesting to the children because every day we use something, but we don't think about the source of the money for it. We explained to the students how the EU budget is formed," Mladenov said.
He pointed out that there are 15 renovated educational institutions in the region attended by more than 8,000 children, and that the schools and students presented their achievements and implemented projects related to EU funding, including sports grounds and modern classrooms.
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 towns: 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.
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