BTA Launches EU Journalism Training Program for Emerging Reporters

Ten young journalists of Bulgarian national and regional media outlets are participating in a training at BTA organized jojntly with the European Parliament office in Sofia, October 27, 2025 (BTA Photo/Minko Chernev)

Sofia,

27.10.2025 21:20

(BTA)

Ten young journalists are participating in a training organized by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) in partnership with the European Parliament (EP), which began Monday in the MaxiM Hall at BTA. The program will run until October 29.

The event opened with introductory remarks from BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and the Head of the European Parliament Office, Teodor Stoychev, who welcomed the ten selected participants.

The first session featured guest lecturer Prof. Ingrid Shikova, a faculty member and one of the founders of the European Studies Department at Sofia University. She explained the decision-making process within the EU’s “legislative triangle” between the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council, outlining the main competencies of these institutions and the types of European legal acts. Prof. Shikova also noted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, recalling his statement that high-quality journalistic analysis “will never be forgotten.”

The program continued with a lecture by political scientist and New Bulgarian University professor Ivan Nachev, who emphasized the fundamental values and principles of the European Union. Among the core principles of EU democracies, he highlighted consensus and compromise between different policy approaches at the European and regional levels, as enshrined in EU primary legislation. He identified major challenges for the political union, including poor communication and insufficient respect for European values. He also noted that Bulgaria’s clear stance within EU institutions is threatened by a lack of vision and in-depth foreign policy thinking. He outlined the European Parliament’s oversight functions and the EU budgetary process, urging young journalists not to differentiate between Brussels and Sofia, and to hold Bulgarian representatives in the EU accountable for the policies they pursue.

The final lecture of the first day was delivered by BTA journalists Iva Toncheva from the Social Media Directorate and Spas Stambolski from the Economy Directorate. They introduced participants to the specifics of reporting on the information campaign for Bulgaria’s introduction of the euro. Toncheva and Stambolski advised young journalists to consult institutional press centers more frequently when preparing stories about the EU. Iva Toncheva also presented a new initiative by BTA’s Social Media Directorate aimed at explaining European legislation in a more accessible language.

The young journalists also met with Bulgarian MEP Ivaylo Valchev (European Conservatives and Reformists / There Is Such a People). He presented his work as a shadow rapporteur on the protection of minors online. Valchev also discussed the proposed European Media Freedom Act, which he argued could impose certain constraints on journalists by precisely defining their powers, protections, and ethical rules. While he believes that Europe is increasingly regulated, he stressed that the Act will have a “Bulgarian version,” as it will undergo public consultation in Bulgaria and be shaped by the journalistic community. Valchev also spoke about his work on the joint EU–North Macedonia committee, highlighting the challenges and pitfalls in promoting Bulgaria’s position in the European Parliament. He showed the young journalists lists of parliamentary votes by his group on specific topics and discussed issues that sometimes create disagreements when forming common positions.

/NF/