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

Representatives of state, local and educational institutions participated in a conference at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Pazardzhik on Friday. The event was part of the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project.

In Pazardzhik, the Bulgarian contribution to free access to culture is particularly visible, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the opening of the local conference. He emphasized that the conference is held during the 50th anniversary of the International Festival of Symphonic and Contemporary Music Winter Musical Evenings – Prof. Ivan Spasov. Valchev pointed out that attendance for the festival is traditionally free, against the background of the very expensive tickets for such festivals in other places in Europe. He recalled that the concerts of the symphony orchestra in Pazardzhik are also free every Thursday and that the town's symphony orchestra is supported by the Municipality. "This is another good example of providing access to culture, as is the case with the symphony orchestra in Sliven," Valchev stressed.

Pazardzhik has given a lot to culture, the town's heart beats to the pulse and rhythm of culture, said its Mayor Petar Kulenski. The mayor thanked the organizers from the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra and the chief artistic director, maestro Grigor Palikarov, for the 50th edition of the International Festival of Symphonic and Contemporary Music Winter Musical Evenings named after Prof. Ivan Spasov, which opened on Thursday. “You saw the incredible young pianist and soloist Emanuil Ivanov, in the coming days we are going to see tenor Mario Nikolov and many other local artists who have transcended the boundaries of the Bulgarian stage. This makes us proud,” Kulenski emphasized.

The new European multiannual financial framework will be fundamentally different than the previous frameworks in the last 20 years, as for the first time money will be spent on defence and promoting the industry in the sector, MEP Andrey Novakov (EPP/GERB) said. He stressed that the opportunities the EU provides young people are something unthinkable for their parents' generation. "For you, it is already a given that you do not pay roaming when traveling, that you will no longer be asked for your ID card, that there are airlines where you scan your ticket and land on the other side of the continent," Novakov addressed the students at the conference, adding that in order to be able to do this, their parents' generation needed five transit visas, waiting at night in front of embassies and five different types of currency.

Pazardzhik Region is a good example of projects in educational institutions, said its Regional Governor Valentina Kaitazova. "The mobility programmes that are being implemented are a good opportunity to improve the teaching skills of teachers by approving innovative methods and approaches," she noted, adding that many students in the Region apply for the Erasmus+ programme. She also said that under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, STEM spaces should be built in all 110 schools in the Region by 2026 with European funds.

Five schools and one student dormitory have been renovated and modernized in Pazardzhik with BGN 8.2 million under the Regions in Growth 2014-2020 Operational Programme, said Regional Information Centre Manager Radoslav Peshalov. The three pillars that the EU finances in the field of education, according to him, are infrastructure, the creation of a STEM environment and further qualification of those involved in the education system. He pointed out that various STEM laboratories have been created in schools with the support of EU funds and that currently Pazardzhik Municipality is implementing a project for the repair and rehabilitation of a high school dormitory under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan worth BGN 3.5 million.

Through the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project, BTA aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. Until 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.