Razgrad provides unique knowledge for the European Union that is not found anywhere else in Europe, some of which is not even found in the world, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev during a local 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.
Valchev cited as an example the unique yogurt from the Razgrad village of Getsovo, which is made thanks to the mysterious herb that cows graze on only two hills that only the Getsovo people know where. But in fact, behind its production lies unique knowledge of how to make real yogurt, and that is why the European Commission recognizes it as a Bulgarian yogurt protected designation of origin.
He pointed out that Razgrad has been providing the EU with similar specific knowledge in many other areas for years, for example in the economy with significant enterprises such as Antibiotic, which has been operating since the 1950s, and ADM, the successor to an enterprise opened more than 120 years ago, as well as the leaders in the Bulgarian pharmacy Biovet and the production company for yogurt makers Selur Pharma, who have their own strains of lactic acid bacteria and probiotic and synbiotic products.
In the cultural sphere, Valchev highlighted the Ludogorets flint, which the region has exported throughout Southeast Europe and the archaeological remains of the ancient city of Abritus. He also emphasized the agreement between different ethnicities in the region, shown in sports with the colourful football team of Ludogorets.
Valchev said that date for the local conference was chosen because of the awards for the 13th edition of the Grigor Popov National Student Journalism Competition. He also emphasized that Razgrad has been part of the general national and European conversations organized by BTA thanks to the agency's National Press Club on July 26, 2023, on the day of the beginning of the 21st edition of the Yogurt Fair, which is one of the town's most emblematic holidays.
Valchev recalled that BTA has tripled its national press clubs since 2021 and preserved and developed the 14 press clubs opened in the previous 18 years, so that currently the agency has opened a total of 42 national press clubs. "We usually hear that Bulgaria receives money from the EU and what remains in our minds is that we Bulgarians are the ones who only benefit from our participation in the EU. But the truth is that the EU also benefits from the Bulgarians, just as it benefits from the other European nations. The point of these conferences is to see this contemporary contribution," Valchev stressed.
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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