BTA today launched its new project “Europe in the Balkans: Common Future in the European Cohesion Policies of Bulgaria and its Balkan Neighbors”, said its Director General Kirill Valchev opening the inaugural conference in Sofia. The project promotes European cohesion policies in Bulgaria and the Balkans.

These policies aim to achieve policy objectives of the European Commission to support new jobs, the competitiveness of businesses, economic development and the improvement of citizens’ quality of life.

The project, launched today, is a continuation of the previous “Europe in Bulgaria: Common Future”, in which BTA presented European cohesion policies inside the country, said Valchev.

Valchev reported that European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova said: “We are already in the future.”

The Commissioner made the remarks on Tuesday when she visited the Bulgarian News Agency to see its new fleet of 30 electric cars, and described the BTA as an example for all public bodies with its fully electrified car fleet, she said.

Explaining that much remains to be done in the Balkans in the transport sector, he said: “There is still no railway connection between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. Between Bulgaria and Romania there are only two bridges over the Danube, which block under the burden of increased traffic. There is no permanent year-round ferry connection between Bulgaria and Turkey on the Black Sea. At the border with Greece there are often long hours waiting as Bulgaria has not joined the Schengen area. The highway between Bulgaria and of Serbia is being completed but there is no talk of more highways. Flights between Balkan capitals within a few minutes by plane usually have a stopover in Vienna, Frankfurt or Istanbul, because there are no direct connections,” Valchev added.

The Balkans’ destination is their common future in Europe, and the time will surely come when not only BTA correspondents in Bulgaria, but also those in neighboring countries will start using fully electric cars after a temporary “hybrid” solution, said director of the BTA.

The Bulgarian news agency already has permanent correspondents in Skopje, Bucharest and Ankara, will have one in Belgrade, probably at the beginning of the new year, and one in Athens. The news agency has reporters in Bosilegrad (Serbia) and Istanbul.

The aim is to have BTA correspondents everywhere in the Balkans and national press associations, which will be a media hub for meetings and events, he said.

BTA also became the seat of the Association of Balkan News Agencies – South East Europe (ABNA – SEE) – the only international media organization registered in Bulgaria so far. BTA also maintains the updated ABNA-SEE website, which contains one news story in English from each member-Balkan news agency daily, Valchev said.