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

Representatives of various sectors who have worked on projects related to the EU's Cohesion Policy participated in a local conference at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Smolyan on Tuesday. The event was part of BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project.

Smolyan Deputy Mayor Marin Zahariev voiced hope that more young people from Smolyan would return to the region, providing a fresh impetus to its economy. "We are seeing excellent results in education within the city and region. Our children are highly regarded in the competitions they participate in, consistently achieving long-term and sustainable success. I hope this trend continues as we continue to develop," Zahariev emphasized. He also thanked BTA for organizing the event, noting that it offered a chance to showcase the implementation of European projects in the region. "You are a voice for all of Bulgaria and the Rhodope Mountains. Without publicity, there is no way for our activities to reach the people. I am pleased that today we can share our best practices," he added.

Four projects are being implemented in Smolyan Region under the 2021-2027 Education Programme, said Regional Education Department Head Nikola Zapryanov. He pointed out that schools in the region are also working on 18 national programmes and on projects funded by the Erasmus + programme, adding that the latest project under the programme includes a visit to the Rhodope town by teachers and students from Malta, Sweden, Portugal, Poland and Turkiye. Smolyan Region continues to be one of the regions with the best educational indicators, Zapryanov emphasized, recalling that it is in the top places in national assessments in any format. The region has six vocational and two specialized high schools, 14 secondary and 31 primary schools, two schools focused on culture and one municipal sports school. He also stated that there is no student who does not have access to education and that there is a 97% coverage of children in preschool and school education in the region.

In 2025, Smolyan Municipality will have a wide variety of procedures related to education, said Zornitsa Stavreva, expert at the Regional Information Centre. Stavreva presented the Literacy of Adults procedure, which can be used by municipalities, state, private and municipal schools and non-profit legal entities for the public benefit with proven experience and expertise in education and/or work with vulnerable groups. The activities are related to the creation of school and local communities to support the process of desegregation of schools and reducing negative public attitudes in education, creating school and local communities to support the process of desegregation of schools and reducing negative public attitudes in education, mobility and experience, she pointed out. 

Projects in the scientific and research sphere should be administratively simplified, said Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory Director Nikola Petrov. He stressed that conducting public procurement for projects related to science is inapplicable, adding that for a scientific and research activity, specific equipment is needed in order to achieve a specific scientific result. In this regard, according to him, conducting public procurement is absurd. "We have found the necessary equipment, for example, in the US and suddenly they tell us to make a public procurement. How can the US participate in a project with a public procurement? This is impossible," Petrov pointed out. He stated that the observatory in Rozhen was visited by 15,000 people during the summer in 2024, which brought in BGN 100,000 in revenue. "We have been waiting for four years for a project to be implemented for the road to the observatory, which is difficult to access," Petrov emphasized. In 2018-2019, the observatory began construction of a new telescope for the first time in the last 45 years, he also said. The equipment was officially unveiled in 2023.

BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project 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.