site.btaIt Is Important to Maintain Interest of Young People in EU Elections, Says Head of European Parliament Bureau in Bulgaria

Young people have a good idea of what the European Union is, and an average guess about how it functions and what it represents in Bulgaria, said Teodor Stoychev, head of the Bureau of the European Parliament in Bulgaria. He was speaking at a fact-checking seminar in Burgas on Thursday.

"We talk with young people about all kinds of issues - from the history of the EU and European integration to specific cases related to EU legislation. We want to give them a very good foundation so that they know what opportunities are available to them and how to make the most of them", Stoychev pointed out. According to him, it is important that young people become European citizens with an active civic position and their interest in the EU be maintained.

He also spoke about the successful programmes of the EU aimed at young people, like the Erasmus+ programme and the Ambassador School Programme. "Let's not forget that the financing of the Erasmus programme was increased several times during the current term of the European Parliament, and I am sure that this will continue in the next term," said Stoychev. He underscored that it is important for everyone to vote in the European elections and participate in the democratic process in Europe. 

According to him, national political topics will certainly replace European ones at the upcoming elections in Bulgaria. "Therefore we are trying to put the European topic on the agenda and to emphasise that we vote not only for a national parliament, but also for a European one, which will ultimately determine where the European Union will head in the next five years", said Stoychev.

The meeting was organized by the Bureau of the European Parliament in Bulgaria and was conducted as a fact-checking seminar aimed at young people who will vote for the first time in the European elections in June 2024. Journalist Dafina Kandova from the Factcheck.bg platform talked about disinformation, fake news and fact-checking.

High school graduates from Varna also participated in the seminar.