Sofia Mayor: Cities Are Driving Force of Enlargement Process

Konstantin Kostov, Filip Pavlov

Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev speaking at the EU Meets the Balkans forum in Sofia, April 17, 2025 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kassabov)

Sofia,

17.04.2025 14:08

(BTA)

Today, more than ever, cities are not just participants in the enlargement process: they are its driving force, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev said here Thursday. He was among the speakers at the EU Meets the Balkans forum.

The event is organized by the European Liberal Forum, the ALDE Party, and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria with the participation of Vice President Iliana Iotova, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk, representatives from Turkiye, Romania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Montenegro, Bulgarian MPs and policy experts.

"It is (...) on our streets and in our schools that the European perspective becomes real", Terziev pointed out, adding that it is in cities that people face the real challenges of integration and also discover its greatest opportunities. "Sofia is ready to be a bridge between institutions and people, between politics and the reality of everyday life in Balkan cities," Terziev emphasised, stressing that Sofia is not just a capital, but a connecting link, a unifier and a catalyst for European urban dialogue.

"If we want integration to be successful and sustainable, we must start from the bottom up", he stated, adding that cohesion policy starts in cities by investing early in local capacity, by encouraging cooperation and joint initiatives.

/NF/