Burgas is entering the race for the European Capital of Culture in 2032. This decision was made today by the municipal councilors, who approved a report on the matter.
To achieve this, an NGO will be established, which will be funded by the local budget. The necessary funds will amount to BGN 350,000. Since the budget has not yet been voted on, an initial amount of BGN 10,000 will be allocated.
„The most important thing is to succeed, and I am confident that if we prepare the campaign well, Burgas has every chance of winning this competition. The second important thing is to succeed along the way. It is important because it also inspires and mobilizes, but also provokes all people. In this regard, I propose a five-person Management Board – for Chairperson, I propose Diana Savateva. For Vice-Chairperson, I propose a businessperson – Todor Demirkov, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For Vice-Chairperson, I propose Dr. Loris Manuelyan,“, Mayor Dimitar Nikolov pointed put before the local parliament.
The debate was opened with a speech by Alexandra Valeva, an acting student at „Lyuben Groys“ College, who asked for the floor herself and got it:
„I’d like to express my gratitude to my professors and colleagues because you not only made our dream of studying acting come true, but also allowed us to apply for the European Capital of Culture. On behalf of my colleagues, I promise that we will not let you down, we will not give up, and we will not make you regret what you have done for the young people of Burgas. Just as we believe in you, believe in us too, that you will not regret it – Burgas will not only be called, but will truly become the European Capital of Culture,“, Alexandra Valeva said.
„The successful outcome of this initiative will bring many image benefits to the city of Burgas!“, Veselin Prenerov shared.
„Not only will it keep the dream alive, but I am sure that everyone will give their best to make it come true,“, Stoyan Grozev said.
„I warmly applaud the idea for Burgas to apply, and I would like to congratulate its initiators for this wonderful approach. My impression is that typically, cities chosen as European Capitals of Culture have a strongly pronounced architectural heritage, which Burgas cannot boast of, but it has a rich cultural program. In this regard, I would like to recommend that our candidacy be supported by Nessebar and Pomorie, which could contribute to winning the initiative,“, Georgi Drakaliev commented.
The floor was then taken by Diana Savateva, who will head the NGO:
„The initiative is by Mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov. We are all committed to making the preparation bright and noticeable enough. Here with me are the signatures that were collected literally in a few hours from people who joined the petition. I want to thank the councilors because during the committees, there was no doubt that this is the right direction.“.
The Deputy Mayor for Culture also emphasized that this application will give us the opportunity to develop our city in every direction – economy, infrastructure, and connection with the periphery.
