site.btaSofia To Host Annual B40 Mayors' Forum in February

Sofia will host the most prestigious local government forum in the Balkans - the annual forum of mayors from the B40 network, Sofia Municipality said on its website.

The forum, which will be the fourth edition of the initiative, will take place between February 23 and 25. Until now it has been organized in Istanbul, Athens and Tirana. The theme of Sofia's hosting is "The future of the Balkans: innovation and growth". At the suggestion of Mayor Vassil Terziev, the B40 cities in the accession phase of EU membership will partner with cities from the Eurocities network to support their preparations.

The B40 Balkan Cities Network was established at the end of 2021 at the suggestion of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and brings together more than 70 cities from the region. B40's main mission is to promote democracy and cooperation among cities in the Balkans in order to share experiences and bring them closer together as a basis for stability in the Balkans and Europe. In 2024, the Mayor of Sofia Municipality Vassil Terziev was elected as a member of the Executive Board of Eurocities, the largest network of European cities, and is the Commissioner for Enlargement of the European Union.

The B40 organization focuses on the role of local government in sustainable and positive change, focusing its efforts on partnerships in areas such as economy, tackling global challenges like climate change, green policies and digital transformation, education and culture. The B40 Annual Meeting in Sofia will provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation between Balkan cities aimed at developing effective local solutions to address climate change challenges. The event is expected to attract a wide range of participants, including local government and NGO representatives, and to reinforce Sofia's key role in Balkan and European politics.