NEWS

 

President Rumen Radev discussed the opportunities for effective implementation of the European Union's financial programmes for promoting grassroots sport among young people and investment in innovation at a meeting at Dondukov 2 with EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth at the European Commission, Iliana Ivanova. The two agreed that increasing incentives for innovation and speeding up the process of its introduction into the economy is key to the competitiveness of EU member states and the Union as a whole. The President emphasised the role of digitalisation and the need for increased integration of digital technologies in the economy and society - an indicator on which Bulgaria is ranked second to last according to the European Commission's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) for 2022.

 

The common position was that it is necessary to intensify the dialogue between national and European institutions for better awareness and accessibility of the public, NGOs and businesses to EU funds and programmes both in Bulgaria and in other EU member states. The President recalled the efforts of the caretaker government, led by Galab Donev, in this direction by holding numerous consultations and informational meetings in every region of the country, which led to a significant increase in the number of projects submitted under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

 

The focus of the conversation was also the potential implementation with European funding of initiatives supporting sporting children in Bulgaria, grassroots sport and young people in the country from socially vulnerable groups, as a factor for their social integration and for overcoming regional imbalances in the country. Encho Keryazov, whose foundation in his name supports talented Bulgarian children in arts and sports, also participated in the conversation.

 

The meeting was held at the initiative of Denmark's ambassador to Bulgaria Flemming Stender within the framework of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU

In his speech, the president pointed out that Bulgaria highly values its relations with Iraq, which is an important partner in the Middle East region

Taking advantage of their geostrategic position, Bulgaria and Georgia have the potential to deepen their connectivity in various areas such as transport, energy, and the digital sector, which will contribute to promoting the economy, investment, and prosperity in the Black Sea region. This was stated by President Rumen Radev, who held a meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili.

The two were unanimous that restoring peace in Europe through diplomacy is a priority for the EU and the only way to ensure the long-term security and stability of the Old Continent.