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

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Monday held a local conference in the northwestern town of Montana as part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project with the support of the European Commission. Participants discussed European investments for better living conditions in Montana Region.

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, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. "In these conferences, (...), we are trying to present not only the contribution of Europeans to Bulgaria, but also the Bulgarian contribution to Europe", he pointed out. In his words, communal living is a Bulgarian contribution to the EU, where there is a lot of alienation between people. He noted that in Bulgarian towns there are close-knit communities to 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. 

The European Union (EU) provides many opportunities, the important thing is to know what one wants and how to implement it, stated Montana Mayor Zlatko Zhivkov. He pointed out that as the Mayor of the regional town since 1999, he has had the opportunity to implement many projects with EU funding. He noted that in 1999 Montana had a budget of BGN 9.6 million, including funds for a hospital and polyclinic, while currently the budget is over BGN 100 million, not including BGN 24 million from EU funds.

There is a need for more conversations and a campaign like BTA's to show what Europe gives Bulgaria and what Bulgaria gives to Europe, because the two are intertwined and inextricably linked, said Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission's Representation in Bulgaria. She emphasized that expansion is one of the top priorities of the European Commission, and the role of Montana in the coming years will be even more significant, as a centre for development and good cooperation with Serbia and Romania. She underscored that Montana serves as an example of successful initiatives in cross-border cooperation with Romania and Serbia, adding that the municipality is working with partners in both countries for more attractive tourism and on flood and wildfire response prevention. 

Through Local Initiative Groups (LIG), the funds from the European Union have reached many people in rural areas and in schools, stated Rumiana Simeonova, CEO of the Lom Local Initiative Group. She noted that 34 associations and organizations from the commercial, non-commercial and public sectors are members of the Lom LIG and that in the programming period 2014-2021, 61 contracts were implemented under four operational programmes by the group.

Bulgaria is third in Europe in terms of number of archaeological monuments, said Vladislav Jivkov, faculty member at the National Institute of Archaeology and Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Science. According to him, there are about 200 archaeological sites in the three regions of Vidin, Montana and Vratsa. During two-week tours, mainly along the Danube River and the lower course of the Lom River, 65 new archaeological sites were found, which increases their total number in Montana Region alone by about 30%, he stated.

The Nikola Vaptsarov School in Montana implemented projects under the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth, through which many students caught up and filled deficits, emphasized School Director Elka Staneva. She pointed out that the school is an innovative one, which has worked on five projects under the operational programme since 2021. In April 2024, the school was visited by a delegation of European Commission representatives, who met with teachers, students and parents.

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.