The Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, Ms. Yordanka Chobanova, welcomed the participants in the national campaign "Detectives of European Projects" in Blagoevgrad.
The meeting took place at the invitation of the Regional Information Center - Blagoevgrad.
The meeting was attended by the Director of the Center for Personal and Creative Development of Children of Blagoevgrad, Ms. Bogdana Kostadinova, and the Deputy Director, Dr. Alexandra Kovacheva, who shared their experience and ideas for joint future initiatives with the EC Representation in Bulgaria.
The young people from the Municipal Youth Parliament were awarded certificates for participation in the National Initiative "Detectives of European Projects", which were presented by the manager of the OIC - Blagoevgrad, Mr. Biser Mladenov.
„"You are the real Europeans! You are the generation that was born when Bulgaria became part of the European family and you have grown up knowing only it. You have the happiness throughout your life to take advantage of all the opportunities that the European Union provides us. And the best thing is that you are the ones to whom the future of Europe belongs!" With these words, Ms. Yordanka Chobanova addressed the young people of Blagoevgrad. In her conversation with them, she told them about the "Erasmus+" program, in which even more funds will be invested in training, exchange and internships in the future, about the free train travel around Europe through the DiscoverEU initiative and about the extremely useful and paid internships in the EC and the European institutions through the Blue Book Traineeship program.
„"Young people like you don't like to be put on the brakes, to limit them, and the European Union removes these very restrictions - it gives you the freedom to travel, to see, to touch, to experiment... If you want it, then you can. But it is important to remember that it is not only the EU and Europe that give to us. We also give a lot to this community - with our history, with our culture and, above all, with our talent and minds. Therefore, wherever you go, whatever you do, be proud and self-confident and always protect your roots!" said Ms. Chobanova during the meeting with the youth.
Daniel Rangelov - Chairman of the Municipal Youth Parliament Blagoevgrad, on behalf of the Youth Parliament of Blagoevgrad, presented a stained glass window, which was made by the children from the Artpalitra school headed by Mrs. Tsarimira Georgieva.
The Mayor of Blagoevgrad, Mr. Metodi Baykushev, reminded us of our national ideals, outlined years ago by heroes and prominent statesmen such as Vasil Levski, Gotse Delchev and Stefan Stambolov.
After the meeting, a visit was also organized to centers for children with disabilities and their families, which were established with funding from the "Regions in Growth" and "Human Resources Development" programs 2014-2020. This is one of the two projects that the students decided to get to know closely in the first stage of the initiative. On site, they saw what was achieved after the implementation of the two projects, the services that are provided and the benefits for the users and their families from this.
In May, the Regional Center for Waste Management - Blagoevgrad will also organize a visit to the Regional Waste Management System, where millions of leva have been invested from the OP "Environment" 2014-2020.
