In addition to cross border projects, it is very important for Bulgaria and Turkiye, as two neighboring countries, to present the Black Sea Region as a whole, Burgas Free University Rector Prof Milen Baltov said during the cross-border conference as part of BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference took place at the BTA National Press Club here on Friday.
"Edirne is also the gateway for our university, which exactly 30 years ago concluded the first international agreement with a university from Turkiye, namely with Trakya University", he pointed out.
Baltov presented the results of the hackathon which took place at the Burgas Free University in November 2024, where students from the High School for Romance Languages won the competition with a project for a robot that cleans oil, plastic and various pesticides from the oceans around the world.
"Every year, over 14 billion tons of waste are dumped into the world's oceans, and if pollution continues at the same pace, in 30 years there will be more waste than life in the oceans, which is a prerequisite for an ecological disaster," Baltov cited the students.
"Our serious chance is to show that the economy will not only be linear, but can also be circular", he emphasised, adding that the blue economy must also be realized, as the region has large water resources and water solutions. "We are already profiting from investments in offshore renewable energy, aquaculture and marine-based biotechnology," Baltov stressed, noting that whole civilizations arose on the basis of a blue economy.
He drew attention to the cross-border programmes for the Black Sea with Turkiye and Romania, and also pointed out the cross border programme Black Sea Basin, where Burgas Free University has a project related to engaging youth in the circular economy.
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.
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