Bulgarian's accession to the Schengen area has brought great benefits to the Bulgarian people, which they are still unaware of, Blagoevgrad Mayor Metodi Baykushev said at the local conference within BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference took place at the BTA National Press Club here on Wednesday.
"We are talking about a process that took more than a century, but led to what our ancestors dreamed of. The European Union is the brightest page in the recent history of Bulgaria. We have always known that we can inspire on our own, but in partnership with other European countries we are even stronger," Baykushev underscored.
He stated that the first liberation of Blagoevgrad (during the Russo-Turkish War in 1878) was the beginning of a process that led to its final liberation on January 1, 2025, when Bulgaria achieved its national ideal in a peaceful way, through diplomacy and friendship. "Within the European Union today, the territories that our ancestors once left as refugees are just as much ours as they are to all other European nations," he pointed out.
Baykushev said that a number of European projects related to the renovation and modernization of school infrastructure have been implemented in Blagoevgrad Municipality, adding that the municipal administration has established good cooperation with both universities on its territory in terms of scientific, cultural and educational exchange. He noted that there are two universities with an excellent reputation and serious results in Blagoevgrad, and highlighted the American University in Bulgaria as an important higher school for the Balkans, which attracts students from different regions of the world. "This gives the town a special feature that I believe is not found anywhere else in our country," the Mayor concluded.
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.
/DS/
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