site.btaExtra Funds Allocated in Support of Bulgarian Communities Abroad in 2024

The Council of Ministers approved additional expenditures of up to BGN 2.1 million on the 2024 budget of the Foreign Ministry for the implementation of the Programme for Support of Organizations of Bulgarian Communities in Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Moldova and citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia with Bulgarian identity on a project basis in 2020-2024.

Support for projects under the five-year Programme opens up new opportunities and mechanisms for inclusion of Bulgarian citizens abroad in the socio-political life of Bulgaria, as well as for preserving the Bulgarian ethno-cultural space and strengthening the country's positive image.

The Cabinet also approved additional expenditures of up to BGN 200,000 on the 2024 budget of the Foreign Ministry needed for the financing of projects under the Programme for Support of the Bulgarian Communities, Organizations and Initiatives of Bulgarians Abroad in 2024.

The Programme approved by the Cabinet on March 3 focuses on countries in the immediate neighbourhood (the Western Balkans) and Eastern Europe with traditional Bulgarian communities (Ukraine and Moldova). The Programme aims to build capacity for countering misinformation and fake news, to increase media literacy and create public resilience to foreign interference and information manipulation.