December 3 (BTA) - For the first time, European citizens, including Bulgarians, are given the opportunity to directly express their ideas about the European Union (EU) they want to live in within the Conference on the Future of Europe (CFE). With its "Bulgarian Voices for Europe" initiative, supported by the European Parliament (EP), the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) aims to give voice to Bulgarian citizens in the debates, collecting as many opinions as possible on how the EU should be reformed to face the upcoming challenges.

Organized by BTA, the "Bulgarian Voices for Europe" conference which is the first forum in a series of events under the initiative of the same name, will take place in Burgas on December 6. Until the end of June, conferences will be also held in BTA press clubs in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, Pazardzhik, Vidin, Haskovo, Shumen, Sliven, Pleven, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Vratsa, Lovech, Varna, Ruse, Dobrich, Burgas, Yambol and Kazanlak.

In Burgas, the conference will be opened by the three Bulgarian members of EP who represent Bulgaria in CFE - Eva Maydell, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Angel Dzhambazki, Head of EP information office in Bulgaria Teodor Stoychev, Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov and BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, who will be moderating the debate. Experts, regional and local authority representatives, businessmen, non-governmental sector representatives, journalists and others will participate in the discussions. The event will be fully accessible via web streaming on the BTA Facebook page. Burgas citizens will have the opportunity to share their ideas for the future of EU at an open-air BTA stand, as well.

Radostina Tsenova, a Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation representative who is going to participate in the Burgas conference, told BTA that Bulgarians should be proud to be Europeans because of Bulgaria's nature and history.

"I want my voice to be heard as the topic of nature concerns me both personally and professionally. In Bulgaria, we still have a lot to show Europe - our species and our natural sites, for example", Tsenova added.

Yana Karshiyska, Director of the Burgas Regional Library, intends to raise the issue of EU libraries' future. In 2050 libraries should unify all cultural, educational, social and information institutions, which aim to inspire people towards freedom and knowledge, creating a Europe full of hopes and virtues, she told BTA.

What is the Conference on the Future of Europe?

Organized by the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission, the Conference on the Future of Europe includes a series of discussions providing an opportunity for European citizens to debate on Europe's challenges and priorities. People from all walks of life and corners of the Union can share their ideas and send online submissions through a multilingual digital platform. The opinions will be collected, analysed, monitored and published throughout the Conference. Over 10,000 ideas, 17,000 comments and 50,000 recommendations have been submitted so far.

The main topics for discussion are:

- Climate changes and environment
- Healthcare
- Economy and social justice
- The EU around the world
- Values and rights, rule of law, security
- Digital transformation
- European democracy
- Migration
- Education, culture, youth and sport

The content of BTA in the "Bulgarian voices for Europe" emission is freely accessible to all. LN/KK