site.btaFour Young Journalists Continue Their Training in Brussels under European Parliament Programme

Four Bulgarian journalists have qualified for the European module of the European Parliament's (EP) Training Programme for Young Journalists and are continuing their training in Brussels, the EP announced on its website on Friday. The module will take place in March 2025 in Brussels.

The qualifying journalists were selected based on their prepared original pieces on topics assigned to them by the lecturers during the national module. These are the journalists Samuil Ivanov (Focus News Agency), Gloria Hristova (Economic.bg), Polina Pencheva (bTV) and Lilia Yordanova (BTA, Svishtov). Participants will have the opportunity to visit the three main EU institutions - the EP, the European Commission and the Council of the EU - and meet their speakers, participate in discussions with foreign MEPs and experts on topics on the legislative agenda of the Parliament, as well as meet their EU colleagues.

Between October 28 and 30 in Sofia, the EP, in cooperation with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), held the national module of the third edition of the European Parliament's Training Programme for Young Journalists. The 14 selected participants, representatives of national and regional media in Bulgaria, learned about the functioning of the European institutions, the values of the European Union and democracy, the structure and work of the EP, how to communicate European issues, disinformation and propaganda, fact-checking, as well as examples of successful media grant projects funded by the European Parliament.

During the training the young journalists had discussions with MEPs Andrey Novakov (EPP) and Tsvetelina Penkova (S&D) on topics such as Schengen, cohesion policy, the defence committee, the election of the new European Commission and the hearing of the Bulgarian candidate for Commissioner, the future of green policies, energy and energy connectivity, legislation related to start-ups, capital markets and climate policies, among others.

All journalists received a certificate of attendance for their participation in the national module in Sofia. 

The certificates were handed over by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. During the awarding ceremony, Valchev said that it is generally considered that a reporter, a journalist conveys what they see on the spot, but that is by no means enough. “Journalists need to have a very thorough knowledge of each subject they cover. In fact, we are constantly confronted, not only in Bulgaria but around the world, with a superficial narrative of the news," the BTA Director General noted.