site.btaBulgarians Abroad Are Part of EU, Says BTA Director General

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 held as part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project at the National Press Club of BTA in Bosilegrad on Thursday.

"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 also 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. That is why the Bulgarians in Serbia should participate in the talks about the future of Europe, including the conferences that are part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project, which BTA organizes with the support of the European Commission. "Such talks will take place within nine months in the 32 national press clubs of BTA in Bulgaria, as well as in all countries neighbouring Bulgaria", Valchev said.

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.

Valchev cited an article of writer Lyuben Karavelov (1843 – 1879), who spoke about the unification of the peoples of Bulgaria and Serbia, adding that it is as if he anticipated the possibility of being together in the European Union. Valchev pointed out that Serbia has taken the path to EU accession, adding that an important condition for the future common life of Bulgarians and Serbs without borders is compliance with the leading principle described by Karavelov in the modern EU: "Let each nation live as it wants, let each have its own schools, its internal self-governance, its internal development", he cited.

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.