site.btaBTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills Conference Held in Bosilegrad

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Thursday held a cross-border conference in the Serbian town of Bosilegrad as part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project with the support of the European Commission. 

Bulgarians everywhere in the world are also part of the European Union, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the opening of the cross-border conference. "This became even more visible earlier today, when the Council of the European Union decided to abolish checks at the Schengen land borders of Bulgaria and Romania from January 1, 2025," he emphasised, referring to the announcement by the Hungarian EU Council Presidency on Thursday. Valchev stressed that the border between Bulgaria and Serbia will one day disappear as well and people from both sides, including the Bulgarians in Bosilegrad, will be able to travel freely, without border checks. He also stated that the possibilities for more information about and from Bulgarians in Serbia are expanding with the accreditation of Teodora Encheva as a permanent correspondent of BTA in Belgrade, adding that BTA's press club in the Serbian capital is an opportunity to include Bulgarians from other places in Serbia as well.

The cohesion funds of the European Union not only bring regions closer together economically through the financing of various infrastructure projects, but also bring peoples, societies and neighbours closer together, said Bulgarian Ambassador in Serbia Petko Doykov. He wished many more years of successful work in the field of journalism of public importance on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment of the press club of BTA in Bosilegrad, which is the first outside Bulgaria.

Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad Executive Director Raina Mandzhukova said that the agency is moving towards closer contacts with all Bulgarian communities abroad in a spiritual, economic and any other way. She emphasised that information provision is one of the first steps and one of the most important things in this rapprochement and stressed that the Bulgarian state is somewhat indebted to the Bulgarians in this region of Serbia, with one way to solve this debt being information provision. She pointed out that the correspondent Aleksandar Dimitrov and his colleagues cannot build a railway line or build roads, but presenting the problems to the public sooner or later will lead to overcoming difficulties.

Kyustendil Municipality is looking for ways and opportunities to support the events in Bosilegrad and to support the local people in any way it can, said Kyustendil Mayor Nikolay Dochev Dochev, specifying that this includes medical assistance and continuing the education of young people in Bulgaria. He expressed his gratitude to BTA for having a national press club in Bosilegrad, as this helps with the media exchange, the awareness of the people and to maintain the sense of community as well, which is extremely important for the local people, he pointed out. "Due to various reasons of an economic nature, people's lives here are not easy, and the existence of the BTA press club gives a feeling of connection on both sides of the border," Dochev pointed out.

The opportunities that the European Union offers Bulgaria are many and Bulgarians must not leave any of them unfulfilled, said Pernik Deputy Mayor Stefan Krastev. His words referred mainly to the European Green Deal and pointed out that Pernik faces serious challenges in its implementation, which is why the Pernik Region is a target region of the EU Just Transition Mechanism. "Pernik is a former industrial heart of Bulgaria, and our ancestors used the top technologies of their time. We can't count on that today", he stressed, adding that the green transition should be considered inevitable, and seen as an incredible opportunity, not a threat.

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.