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 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.

The President recalls that the institution of the Special Commercial Administrator (SCA) was introduced by an Act adopted in 2023, which also established a number of safeguards against potential abuse and arbitrariness — safeguards of the kind already adopted in other European states faced with similar circumstances, with the objective of minimising the risk of subsequent financial claims against the State

Bulgaria stands in solidarity with Lebanon's efforts to support peace, security and stabilisation of the Middle East, which are also of utmost importance to the EU, Radev says after a meeting in Sofia with his Lebanese counterpart

The head of state awardS the Presidential Badge of Honour to the then British Ambassador to Libya