site.btaBTA’s “Europe on Balkans” Project Encourages Young People to Build Future-Ready Skills - BTA Deputy Director General

Through initiatives like BTA's project “Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills", young people are given the opportunity to reflect on the skills they need to stay competitive in the future - both individually and as a society, said BTA Deputy Director General Evgenia Drumeva during the project’s final local conference. 

“This project helps young people ‘synchronize their watches’ and think about the skills they need to develop to remain competitive - not only as individuals but as a country,” Drumeva told participants at the event, held at BTA’s National Press Club in Kazanlak. The project is supported by the European Commission.

She highlighted that one of the key achievements of the initiative was organizing student hackathons across Bulgaria. “We hosted hackathons with students from various universities,” she said, noting that each event addressed a specific issue relevant to the future.

At South-West University in Blagoevgrad, for instance, the focus was on “New Skills for the Future.” In Burgas, students explored “How to Make Burgas Greener.” At Varna’s University of Economics, the discussion centered on “Challenges for Managers in the Age of Digitalization and the Green Transition.” In Gabrovo, the Technical University tackled “Artificial Intelligence and Smart Cities,” while Ruse University addressed the topic of “Intelligent Mobility.”

Drumeva emphasized the value of Bulgarian talent in the tech sector. “Our programmers are highly respected - not just because they can write code, but because they have the knowledge and skills to solve complex problems.”

The project officially launched on November 1 last year - Bulgaria’s National Enlighteners Day - in the historic town of Veliki Preslav. Since then, BTA has published 498 news stories and 19 infographics as part of the initiative. “With today’s conference, we’ll surpass 500,” Drumeva noted.

She underlined the strategic importance of such efforts. “As a news agency, we often focus on the events of the day and risk missing the bigger conversation about long-term goals,” she said. “That’s why we held 40 conferences across the country - to bring together government officials, European Commission representatives, academia, business, NGOs, and the media to discuss what truly matters.”

Drumeva concluded by pointing to the project’s name as a reflection of its deeper mission. “It’s no coincidence that we chose this name. The project was meant to spark conversation about the new realities that are no longer so new — digitalization, artificial intelligence, and the green transition. We’ve already been living with them for years,” she said.

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. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events 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.