site.btaBulgarian Organizations in Serbia Appeal to Foreign Ministry for Decisive Action on Stalled Support Programme

Seven Bulgarian associations in Serbia have sent a letter to Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry, through the Bulgarian Embassy and Consulate General in Serbia, urging immediate and decisive action in connection with the stalled 2025 programme for support of Bulgarian communities abroad.

The letter was signed by the GLAS Association, the Vranje Bulgarian-Serbian Centre, and the Cultural and Information Centres of Bosilegrad, Zvonce, Tsaribrod, Nis, and Erma.

In their letter, the organizations note that they rely primarily on funding from this programme to carry out their cultural and educational mission to preserve Bulgarian culture, promote education, and protect the rights of the Bulgarian minority.

They further say that most associations are currently unable to function and risk breaching local legislation over unpaid rent, office expenses, staff remuneration, and other financial obligations, both past and future.

The letter also discusses the support other minorities in Serbia receive from their countries, as well as the assistance Serbia itself provides to its own communities abroad. The associations warn that they will have to inform the Bulgarian public, demand accountability, and ultimately face bankruptcy and closure.

The programme supports Bulgarian community organizations in Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine, and Moldova, as well as citizens of North Macedonia who identify as Bulgarian. It was adopted in 2020 and ended in late 2024. Over the past five years, it has funded dozens of projects aimed at preserving and developing Bulgarian education, culture, and national identity. Through the joint efforts of Bulgarian state institutions and local communities, a network of Bulgarian associations has been established to serve Bulgarians abroad.

In the first half of 2025, the Foreign Ministry drafted a proposal to extend the programme until 2029, but progress has stalled for the past four months.