the European Commission launched the second edition of JTP Groundwork a technical assistance tool under the Just Transition Platform (JTP) JTP Groundwork supports Just Transition Fund (JTF) regions to implement their Territorial Just Transition Plans The second edition delivers 12 projects across 16 JTF territories including the Stara Zagora Region in Bulgaria Bulgaria is receiving €1.2 billion from the JTF to invest in new jobs and economic activities for a just transition in Stara Zagora as well as the regions of Kyustendil and Pernik These regions face the biggest socio-economic challenges in phasing out coal and reducing CO2 emissions as part of the transition to climate neutrality Stara Zagora is known as the energy heart of Bulgaria hosting several large coal mines and energy generation activities the region is home to four thermal power plants The transition to a zero-carbon economy is expected to affect up to 80% of the region’s jobs in coal mining and energy production requiring the immediate creation of new job opportunities The municipality of Stara Zagora would like to diversity its economy by supporting entrepreneurship and business development that can create alternative job opportunities The municipality is also receiving technical assistance from JTP Groundwork to design a business incubator This will complement other initiatives being developed in the region to foster entrepreneurship and innovation which are important steps for economic diversification JTP Groundwork organised a workshop in Stara Zagora and Green Transition Department of the municipality of Stara Zagora The workshop provided an opportunity to present the region’s business incubator development plan and its alignment with its broader strategy to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation The event focused on sharing results and lessons learned discussing potential roles and interests of stakeholders It was attended by some 30 participants from the region a regional development agency and information technology association) The event began with an introduction by the beneficiary to the context of the region After some words by the European Commission about the JTF and JTP Groundwork’s support PwC presented its work on developing a broader local strategy and roadmap for entrepreneurship The development of business incubators is one of the approaches identified to implement the strategy JTP Groundwork shares key lessons and a plan for the future JTP Groundwork’s technical assistance team then presented a development plan for the operationalisation of the business incubator The plan was derived from insights from case studies The team also shared some key lessons from JTP Groundwork’s technical assistance to the region The final section of the workshop involved interactive discussions as stakeholders were divided in groups to reflect on how the development entrepreneurship and a business incubator of the region can help respond to its needs for the transition This workshop was the final event before the Stara Zagora region concludes its technical assistance from JTP Groundwork and delivers a final action plan to take forward There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here The page you're looking for does not exist The 2025 edition of the annual agricultural exhibition BATA AGRO will feature 204 companies the Bulgarian Association of Traders of Agricultural Machines (BATA) said in a press release The forum will take place from May 12 to 16 Participants in the seventeenth edition of the exhibition will present their businesses across more than 36,500 square meters of exhibition space They will showcase global trends in agricultural technologies from the past year as well as agricultural products and services BATA AGRO will also include live demonstrations of equipment – self-propelled and trailed machinery Agricultural producers will have the opportunity to test-drive and witness the machines in action in the field Among the exhibitors at BATA AGRO are traditionally the official importers of world-renowned brands of agricultural machinery as well as dozens of agriculture companies offering irrigation systems BATA AGRO 2025 will also feature a significant international presence Contacts +359 2 9262 210 By accepting cookies you can enjoy a better experience while browsing pages The development plan of the Maritsa-East Energy complex—the largest in Southeastern Europe—was the focus of the seminar "Jobs and Energy in the Transition from Coal" This complex integrates lignite open-pit mines and multiple thermal power plants making it central to Bulgaria's energy landscape and the ongoing shift to sustainable energy joined the panel "Financing the Transition: Options and Challenges" to emphasize the unprecedented level of EU funding available: “Bulgaria can benefit from funds under the Resilience and Recovery Plan the Invest EU JTF dedicated scheme – to name a few the funding available is timebound and has specific rules to be applied and therefore needs to be accessed as soon as possible” including representatives from the European Commission European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and stakeholders from the Stara Zagora region The seminar highlighted best practices from other EU countries navigating the transition which oversees its decarbonization strategy underscored the importance of strong political commitment a dedicated agency managing Just Transition projects Energy experts presented several pioneering technologies for producing green energy and ammonia—solutions that could potentially transform the Maritsa-East Complex a Commission’s delegation visited the Maritsa East Complex in the region of Stara Zagora They met with the Management of Mini Maritsa Iztok (the mines) the largest thermal power plant in Bulgaria together with the Deputy Energy Minister of Bulgaria Each entity presented their vision for the greening and future development of their enterprises in the face of the accelerating transition and potential financing options were explored EU Support for Bulgaria’s Coal Regions With an allocation of EUR 1.2 billion, the EU is supporting a just climate transition for Bulgaria’s coal regions the Region of Stara Zagora is by far the biggest and most affected by the coal transition Other areas where Just Transition Fund will invest are Kyustendil and Perni Stara Zagora is the last place in Bulgaria where the country wants to “push the button” and make a strategic change before it crashes into the wall the energy transition is not left to chance - rather informed and predictable future is being sought In a lecture at the "Opportunities for Entrepreneurship in Stara Zagora" seminar Head of the Department of Regional and Political Geography at Sofia University "St shared his professional path and experiences from over 50 countries as well as his active work on regional and energy strategies and I will tell you who you are in the economic landscape," said Stoychev energy is the queen of the economy – its structure and social footprint tell everything about a region Bulgaria is trying to build a new model – based on regional balances that integrate the social He was adamant that energy doesn't just drive the economy - it defines it the button (of change) was pressed without a previous plan Now Stara Zagora is the last region where we have a chance to do this reasonably with data and with vision," he emphasized.  The region can become a model for a smart transition where old energy systems are replaced not just with new ones but with ones that bring higher value and enable better incomes and social sustainability Bulgaria often does much more than other countries in this part of Europe but it does not know how to tell its stories We need to learn to make a fuss when we lay an egg," he says referring to Greece's knack for presenting small results as big victories Achievement marketing is as important as the achievements themselves With his experience as an industrial entrepreneur and creator of a photovoltaic project Understanding the structure of energy consumption is the foundation of effective restructuring inefficient and economically unsustainable there is no way we can build an efficient energy system especially in the context of global dependence on external suppliers and infrastructures 95% of the equipment for our photovoltaic projects – from cables to inverters – comes from China So today we are not just investing in our future This also calls into question the sovereignty of the energy transition especially when the country does not have its own "boxes" - its own logistics tools Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Managing Authority Neither the European Union nor the Managing Authority can be held responsible for them Only on the Day of Bravery and Holiday of the Bulgarian Army (May 6) we will provide our visitors with the opportunity to enter three of perhaps the most interesting machines from our outdoor exhibition Dozens of enthusiasts and nature lovers will kick off the 44th edition of the Move and Win campaign with a spring hike to Bozhur Hut The meeting point will be the Vladishki Bridge in Veliko Tarnovo The third edition of the Samardala Festival will be held on 3 May in the central square of Nova Zagora is used as a spice and is harvested at the peak of its flowering in May we will provide our visitors with the opportunity to enter three. english@bnr.bg Get ready for the next stop of the World Rookie Skateboard Tour as the Balkans Rookie Fest returns to the beautiful city of Stara Zagora This exciting event is a highlight of the tour where young skateboard talents from all over the region will showcase their skills in a thrilling competition that promises to deliver unforgettable moments The Balkans Rookie Fest will take place at Stara Zagora’s newly renovated skatepark a venue that earned rave reviews during the 2022 edition of the tour This state-of-the-art facility will be closed to the general public for the entire weekend ensuring that riders have the perfect environment to train and compete Whether you are a seasoned skater or a rising star this skatepark is designed to bring out the best in every participant Stara Zagora is a charming city located about 200 kilometers from Sofia Sofia International Airport is the nearest major airport and the city can be easily reached with a two-hour drive along the highway you’ll be greeted by the warm hospitality that Stara Zagora is known for making your stay an enjoyable experience both on and off the board The entry fee for the event is 20 BGN or 10 EUR payable in cash at the race office on-site Riders of all levels are encouraged to join and be part of this exciting chapter of the World Rookie Skateboard Tour For accommodation options and additional information, feel free to contact the event organizers directly. You can reach us by phone at +359 884 835368 or +359 876 938382, or via email at windsurfer@abv.bg or sirmarich@gmail.com We are here to assist with any questions you may have to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience Mark your calendars and get ready for an adrenaline-fueled weekend at the Balkans Rookie Fest 2024 We look forward to seeing you in Stara Zagora for some of the best skateboarding action of the year Download HERE the infosheet short-term support to coal+ regions across a wide array of transition topics It assists efforts to decarbonise energy production and usage and progress social development in regions and communities that are heavily affected by the transition away from fossil fuels START can help overcome shortcomings in local knowledge and capacities in areas such as: strategy development It can be used to fill knowledge or capacity gaps and to complement other technical assistance and capacity-building instruments START provides tailored support to assist coal+ regions and local communities in achieving a just transition away from fossil fuel-based activities Support typically spans 50-100 “person days” delivered over 6-10 months START is a demand-led service tailored to the needs of recipients It builds capacity across a wide array of topics from developing a comprehensive transition strategy and pipeline of projects to providing advice on specific topics like skills and employment START can provide support in areas such as (non-exhaustive list): START technical assistance delivered so far has covered a wide range of transition-related thematic areas and topics lignite and oil shale regions (‘coal+ regions’) four applications have been selected to receive technical assistance from the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s START programme This third round of START support will run from the spring of this year into early 2025 ●      Lower Silesia (Świdnica) The Secretariat looks forward to engaging with these regions to support just transition efforts there Click through the fields below to access outputs and additional information about START support which may help guide your own regions’ transition START provided support to the Government of the Principality of Asturias (Directorate-General of Energy Mining and after-coal Development) and the Regional Energy Agency (FAEN) for the development of a regional energy transition strategy and for the identification and prioritisation of transition-related projects START is working with the Principality of Asturias to shape and enhance the operation and future development of the Asturian Just Transition Observatory It is also providing advice to facilitate local companies' access to finance for just transition related investments a Patient and WOES) to facilitate co-operative and social economy development in communities affected by coal phase-out START is providing Gorj County Council with support to enhance the effectiveness of the local working group that is responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring the transition process in Gorj County the support will develop an initial inventory of key strategic project ideas and develop several related project fiches advice and consultation assistance to the trade union on green diversification and adaptation in Heves County to create jobs for workers affected by lignite phase-out whilst considering support measures for older workers START provided support to the Jiu Valley Partnership for Just Transition (representing the six territorial units of the Jiu Valley) for the identification and development of priority transition projects alongside assessing the accompanying governance and capacity development requirements for promotion and implementation of transition projects START provided support to the Government of Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj) and the Association for the development of the Microregion Sokolov – East The support focussed on the following main thematic areas: employment opportunities and future skills needs; renewable energy supply and energy efficiency prospects; and viable approaches to sub-regional economic development and employment creation START provided support for the identification and prioritisation of just transition projects in several local economies in Lower Silesia and supported partnership working to enable development of project concepts to access public funding START is providing support to the Association leading the Świdnica Renewable Energy Cluster to further develop cluster's activities with a focus on education communication and involvement of stakeholders in energy transition START provided support to the Marshal Office of Małopolska Region and to various promoters of local transition projects to help develop demonstration transition projects in mining municipalities START provided support to the Just Transition Plan Technical Secretariat to assess opportunities to build on local assets to create a new economy in Megalopolis Support focussed on: employment and skills; micro-entrepreneurship and start-ups; investment attraction and technology transfer; and governance and capacity-building START provided support to the Midlands Regional Transition Team for the identification of transition projects and the planning and coordination of transition-related activities The support focussed on: community consultation; transition project identification and assessment; employment opportunities and skills needs; and transition planning and monitoring START provided guidance and support to Offaly County Council and other local actors (including the newly Created Technology University of the Shannon) for the creation of a new partnership model to facilitate a Just Transition in communities affected by peat phase-out START provided support to national and regional administrations for the promotion and development of energy communities in Sulcis-Iglesiente and used these activities as a catalyst for fostering transition dialogue among local stakeholders and for formulating transition governance and coordination options START provided support to the Marshal Office of Silesia Voivodeship for the development of a method (framework) for the identification and prioritisation of options for the rehabilitation and repurposing of mining and other brownfield sites START returned to Silesia in 2023 to provide support to the Marshal's Office of the Silesian Voivodeship to strengthen their transition communication This included conducting a survey to assess communication needs reviewing the region's just transition website and creating a Handbook that will enable the region to craft implement and monitor a transition-specific communications strategy START provided support to the Stara Zagora Regional Economic Development Agency for the development of a concise overarching transition narrative and insights on the development and diversification of key sectors that could build on the region’s assets and support a just energy transition START is providing support to the Regional Development Agency of Zasavje to develop a narrative and priorities for the region’s diversification and transition from 2028 onwards It is also giving advice and guidance regarding the region’s circular economy ambitions and plans These START recipients represent a diverse cross-section of regions and communities They differ across features including resource type (hard coal industrial characteristics (mono-industrial and diversified) and geographic attributes (rural endowment of natural resources and assets) They are also at different stages of their transition processes Such regional variety contributes to a rich exchange of transition lessons To ensure coordinated and integrated support to START regions the Secretariat works closely with relevant European Commission partners including the Directorates-General for Energy The first major ballet event in the festive jubilee programme celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stara Zagora Opera is the premiere of "Parisian Nights" choreography and staging are by internationally acclaimed Bulgarian artist Donvena Pandoursky The sets and costumes are by the renowned Belarusian artist Pavel Shappo The premiere performances will take place on 29 and 30 April 2025 in honour of the International Day of Dance The music of these three great composers is choreographically transformed into a four-part nocturnal fantasy in Paris - dreamed imagined or truly experienced - through four different phases of a human life The main character is portrayed as a young girl and finally - in the segment "Parisian Revelry" set to the music of Jacques Offenbach—a mature woman trying to dull her fear of aging in the euphoria of Parisian nightlife The performance features distinguished soloists from Stara Zagora: Anelia Dimitrova She graduated from the National School of Dance Art in 1978 and danced with the Sofia Opera Ballet and the prestigious modern ballet company "Arabesque" In 1988 she graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St where she has worked with some of the most prestigious ballet companies including the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm the Mariinsky Theatre and the London City Ballet In 2023 she founded the Westfälische Ballett-Akademie in Ascheberg A pianist and conductor with a world-class career Ivan Yanakov has been performing on several continents for decades He has played as a soloist with prestigious orchestras in famous halls The Night of Musicals takes place tonight at the Vasil Levski Palace of Culture and Sports in Veliko Tarnovo With Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead young Boyan Kracholov - one of the most compelling contemporary Bulgarian theatre directors - makes his debut on the main stage of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre Kracholov won the 2017 Askeer Award in the. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page HOT: » What kind of news would you like to see more of? The Bulgarian Ministers of Environment and Defense have been pelted with eggs by angry protesters in the town of Stara Zagora Minister of Environment and Water Nona Karadzhova and Minister of Defense Nikolay Mladenov had been attending a meeting with the local authorities at the headquarters of the Stara Zagora regional directorate About 200 local protesters had waited for almost an hour to try to find out how long their town would remain polluted with airborne gases who handed them a statement containing their complaints and demands "There is a problem with air pollution in the city and that is why we're here," said Defense Minister Mladenov "I stated at our meeting at the regional administration that we are ready to begin public monitoring of the Zmeyovo polygon I do not know where that gas comes from," admitted the Defense Minister Both ministers have pledged to respond in writing to the issues raised by the local residents some wearing masks over their mouths and shouting "Murderers" Several of them started throwing eggs at the ministers An egg crashed a meter away from Nona Karadjova hitting the door of the regional government office and one protester even spat on Nikolay Mladenov We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria A wind farm project proposed in Bulgaria’s Varna region has sparked public outcry The protest organized by public transport workers in Sofia concluded in front of the Sofia Municipality building Urban transport employees in Sofia staged a protest on Monday morning Sofia's public transport employees will stage a protest blocking three major intersections in the city to demand higher wages have organized protests in response to a mass poisoning of dogs within the city Public transport workers in Sofia will stage another protest on Monday with plans to block three major intersections in the capital The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology forecasts that May will bring temperatures ranging from 2°C to 33°C across Bulgaria the weather will be mostly sunny—around and after midday cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds will develop Bulgaria and Greece have signed a draft Joint Declaration regarding the use of the Arda River waters over the next five years following a decision by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers The weather across Bulgaria on May 1 will begin with sunshine in the morning followed by an increase in cloud cover during the afternoon The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria has repealed legislative changes made two years ago that permitted the installation of photovoltaic (solar) systems on arable agricultural land Bulgaria will experience mostly sunny weather accompanied by a light to moderate east-northeast wind Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase The creation of a business incubator to support young entrepreneurs in the region is emerging as a strategic priority for the Municipality of Stara Zagora in the context of the coal transition and the need for economic transformation Energy Efficiency and Green Transition Department during the "Opportunities for Entrepreneurship in Stara Zagora" seminar The business incubator will be a key hub where ideas will turn into real businesses with the support of mentors and an environment for exchanging ideas – everything young entrepreneurs need to take the first step," emphasized Raykova The concept for the incubator took shape through a project funded with technical assistance from the European Commission and is fully tailored to the specific needs and realities of Stara Zagora Funding is expected under the Just Transition Fund to enable the idea to be implemented in practice The decision to create an incubator is based on a comprehensive strategy for the development of entrepreneurship a survey was conducted among nearly 500 high school graduates who expressed a clear desire to start their own business but cited a lack of information and support as the main obstacles Young people believe that they can find realization as entrepreneurs This is where the role of the business incubator comes in - it will be their partner at the beginning of the path," commented Raykova The incubator project is part of a broader vision for the economic transformation of the region is seeking a new beginning by promoting small businesses and innovative sectors prepared with the participation of the consulting company the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region suffers from a lack of innovation information infrastructure and links between the education and business sectors We are working on a concept that is applicable right here – in our city We want to build a base from which the entrepreneurial movement can actually take off," said Raykova The study shows that the economy of Stara Zagora is dominated by micro and small enterprises these sectors have low innovation potential and are highly dependent on consumer demand These are businesses that rarely invest in innovation and digitalization The problem is not just capital - there is a lack of information systems and institutions to help entrepreneurs," explained Raykova He leads Bellingcat’s work researching and monitoring the transnational far right A Bellingcat investigation has found that a far-right fashion brand affiliated with the white supremacist Active Club movement has its products designed by a streetwear shop in the Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora The decentralised Active Club movement was founded by American neo-Nazi Robert Rundo. It focuses on using fitness, fighting and fashion – particularly Will2Rise (W2R), the fashion brand Rundo founded alongside Active Clubs – to recruit young men and boys into the far right, normalise fascist ideas and prepare them for physical violence against perceived enemies.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bellingcat (@bellingcatofficial) A 2022 Bellingcat investigation into far-right webshops detailed how fashion and merchandise sales can help promote racist ideas among youth provide revenue for hate movements and help the far right strengthen bonds across borders and continents A geolocation by Bellingcat’s reporter in February 2023 led to our more recent discovery that the designs of almost all of the W2R brand’s recent merchandise – almost 20 separate products ranging from fashion to flags and stickers – can be traced to a small streetwear shop in Stara Zagora Bellingcat has also found that this Bulgarian streetwear shop lists other names from the international far-right movement as its clients. These include a Canadian far-right fashion brand, a 2024 far-right combat sports event that Bellingcat geolocated earlier in the year as well as one of the most prominent Active Clubs in the United States W2R did not respond to Bellingcat’s requests for comment.  In February 2023, Robert Rundo was a fugitive in southeastern Europe, evading US federal charges for violence at rallies across California in 2017 and 2018. He had already been the subject of several Bellingcat investigations into his activities in southeastern Europe; we had most recently geolocated him to Plovdiv But he wouldn’t stop posting. On Feb. 28, 2023, Bellingcat geolocated two photos that Rundo had posted on W2R’s Telegram channel several days before. Despite attempts to obscure the location, including blurring out background details, Bellingcat was able to geolocate the photos to Stara Zagora Bulgaria’s sixth-largest city less than 100 kilometres from Plovdiv.  On Sunday U.S. far-right extremist and fugitive Rob Rundo posted these pics on Telegram, blurring what he thinks hides location (I’ve obscured branding with black circles)Still didn’t take long to geolocate: Stara Zagora, Bulgaria 🇧🇬42.4256, 25.62008; https://t.co/cHQDdeLFFX https://t.co/1jimp16pGV pic.twitter.com/kTZyTR4EU5 These photos might look nearly impossible to geolocate particularly when background details including signage have been deliberately blurred out It is also unclear if the photos show Rundo himself We hypothesised that the location was somewhere in Bulgaria since we had geolocated Rundo to the country several months earlier We noticed that the streets in the second image appear to be laid out in a square grid pattern This allowed us to limit our search areas to parts of Bulgarian cities with similar grid patterns We reviewed Google Street View imagery from these parts of Bulgarian cities to rule out possible matches: – Google Street View imagery from larger cities including Sofia Plovdiv and Varna – cities we knew from previous geolocations and research that Rundo had visited – did not reveal similar-looking streets which suggested that this location was likely in a smaller Bulgarian city.  had a similar grid layout – with one-way streets that include left-turn-only intersections – to what is visible in the second photo Rundo posted After searching Google Street View imagery of central Stara Zagora focusing on intersections with left-hand turns into one-way streets Bellingcat found a match for the location of the two photographs based on the placement of street signs and building features.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 2024 and he remains in custody.  Upon revisiting this geolocation in mid-2024 Bellingcat found that more recent Google Street View imagery had become available a cafe was visible at the location in Google Street View showed a self-described streetwear shop where the cafe had previously been called “GK Style,” advertised its website and social media accounts on the front window.  On its homepage, the Bulgarian streetwear shop says it has produced clothing for “more than 300 firms”, along with a large mock up showing logos of its clients include several football teams in Bulgaria’s top division as well as the Bulgarian Football Union (BFS) the FIFA and UEFA-affiliated governing body of football in Bulgaria BFS did not respond to a request for comment The Bulgarian streetwear shop also boasts a few less ordinary “firms” among its clientele including: GK Style did not answer Bellingcat’s specific questions about its relationships with these clients apart from W2R A representative from the Bulgarian shop claimed that the logos of these clients appear on their homepage because they “put company logos at random” on their website The representative told Bellingcat that the shop has “never made [W2R’s] products” and said they only took promotional photos and videos for design samples they created for W2R The representative insisted that they “have nothing to do with far-right organisations”.   the streetwear shop’s Facebook and Instagram pages are filled with photos of clothes they claim to have designed for W2R These include multiple references by name to W2R including posts about products made for “our friends from W2R” (The shop’s representative claimed to Bellingcat that “we call each of our clients friends who have come to us for anything”.) The shop’s products for W2R include t-shirts flags and stickers that promote the Active Club movement Bellingcat counted more than a dozen separate items on the shop’s social media pages that stated they were for W2R or featured W2R branding.  Bellingcat discovered even more – almost 20 different products for sale on the website that appear to have been designed by GK Style with most of these using identical or near-identical photos to those on the streetwear shop’s social media pages.  Several other products that were not promoted on the Bulgarian shop’s social media pages were visible on W2R’s website and Telegram posts Bellingcat has identified the model in these photos These tattoos included a compass on the right bicep and a stylised “1878” across the right knee W2R posted about or advertised a product for sale on its Telegram channel that had only days or weeks before been posted on the Bulgarian streetwear shop’s socials the streetwear shop’s Instagram posted photos of polo shirts they stated were “for our friends from W2R” W2R posted on its Telegram channel – using several of the same photos as the streetwear shop – that the polo shirts would go on sale on W2R’s website that day.  the Bulgarian shop posted photos that included a sleeveless hoodie and t-shirt for W2R 2024 – and using cropped versions of the same photos – W2R promoted these as “new items” that would go on sale on the website that day GK Style claimed to Bellingcat that the shop had only made photos and video promotional materials of clothing samples they had designed for W2R – a service they said they did not charge W2R for.  because when we asked [W2R] about invoices they said they don’t want to work like that… to which we refused,” the representative from GK Style told Bellingcat “We don’t see anything wrong with making designs for them,” the representative said Several days after Bellingcat reached out to both GK Style and W2R for comment on this story W2R advertised a new series of products for sale on its Telegram channel and its website Bellingcat was able to identify the model of these new vests as the owner of GK Style again from his exposed tattoos, particularly on his right bicep. In addition, thanks to a large gate visible in the background in one the photos, Bellingcat was able to geolocate the photos, once again, to Stara Zagora.  Our mission over the next 6 years is to build an innovative ecosystem for science and innovation in the field of hydrogen technologies scientific coordinator of the future Center of Excellence in Hydrogen Technologies "H2Start" (H2START) during an event that officially marks the beginning of the process of building the research zone on the territory of the Thracian University in Stara Zagora A necessary condition for achieving this goal we have specific goals to achieve," she explained determine the methodology for the development of the center The first goal is to create a new type of management of the research process with well-written rules transparency and autonomy in the decision-making process The second important point is the presence of a program – long-term within 6 years and short-term of 1 year in the implementation of the strategic goals we cannot keep up with the European Research Area," pointed out the importance of this goal the center still needs equipment and people  "We want this equipment to be of the next generation," she explained she briefly presented the presence of a strategy that is yet to be developed and the creation of good working conditions and opportunities for career development  Only upon implementation of the above three goals the center team believes that it can proceed to the fundamental task of increasing scientific intensity and quality at the international level We plan to have at least two "spinoffs" (commercial organizations within academic and research institutions - author's note) very serious cooperation with industry and other research institutions - long-term and strategic," explained Prof She also shared information about the horizontal activities of the H2START hydrogen center at Thrace University the scientific coordinator of the project said that there will be a training center opportunities for qualification and retraining  "Our ultimate goal is to enter the network of master's programs at a very high level," said Prof She also emphasized the importance of overcoming legislative barriers which implies joint work with both politicians and the administration in order to facilitate the introduction of hydrogen technologies Another very important task facing the creators of the center Central and Eastern Europe is awakening (in the field of hydrogen technologies and infrastructure - ed.) But in our region we need to have accelerated development of hydrogen technologies Vladikova in response to the question of why the research center is being built The short path to overcoming the above-mentioned gap according to the scientific coordinator of the project is through cooperation with partners from countries where there are already well-developed hydrogen structures In the case of the H2START center in Stara Zagora its construction is being carried out in cooperation with the Thracian University the Polytechnic University of Turin (POLITO) and the Italian Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies "Nicola Giordano" - CNR ITAE we will all use it together - Bulgaria and Europe." The funding for the Center of Excellence in Hydrogen Technologies will be provided by the EU under the Horizon Europe Program and national co-financing Innovation and Digitalization for Smart Transformation Program (RIDI) 2021 - 2027 under the management of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth (MIG) Both countries will provide 15 million euros of the necessary resources Daria Vladikova expressed gratitude for the support received from the Ministry of Innovation and Growth the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and the corporate and academic support provided The project was implemented with the financial support of the Agency for People with Disabilities Contract 6 - StN / 10/06/21 анд Contract № 2 - StN / 23.05.2023 г 3E-news.net by Dir.bg © 2025 All rights reserved “On March 28 and 29 you will see two performances that will be very intense emotionally Not because the story of Rigoletto is emotional but because all of us who are telling this story have immersed ourselves completely in this project," world-renowned Argentine tenor and conductor Jose Cura said on Friday during a press conference ahead of the premiere of "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi at the Stara Zagora Opera House Jose Cura will conduct the production during the two opening nights He explained why he accepted to be part of the team "Together we can do something special - orchestra entering a magical moment where the musicians are inspired during the rehearsals it's very special - even just for that it's worth being here" Cura also said that he did not hesitate to accept the invitation for “Rigoletto” because he knows the qualities of the director of the Opera in Stara Zagora Ognyan Draganov and defined him as an example of dedication to the profession and love for everything he does.  Stara Zagora Mayor Zhivko Todorov also met with the famous conductor "We are honoured to welcome Maestro Jose Cura who will promote an important anniversary," said Mayor Zhivko Todorov and congratulated the team of the Stara Zagora State Opera on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the first opera house outside the capital and the whole city is proud of what you are doing In spite of the difficult transitions over the years the State Opera - Stara Zagora has been many times ahead of the development of all other institutions with its innovativeness I am convinced that culture is what leads the country forward and it is always ahead of everyone else," Todorov added “Maestro Jose Cura is our guest and I am extremely happy that we have with us an exceptional musician carrying deep in his soul the energy and tradition" said  Stara Zagora Opera director Ognyan Draganov At the end of the meeting Zhivko Todorov presented a plaque with Dionysius to Maestro Jose Cura and wished him to leave with wonderful impressions of Stara Zagora the Opera and the people of the city.  Verdi’s “Rigoletto” is the first premiere in the jubilee year 2025 for the Stara Zagora Opera The new production is the work of the world-renowned opera singer and conductor Jose Cura the opera director Ognyan Draganov and the Romanian artist Catalin Ionescu-Arbore who has created the costumes and set design A stellar cast will play the leading roles on the two opening nights: Kiril Manolov and Italian baritone Elia Fabbian will be in the role of Rigoletto Matteo Falcier and Boris Taskov (Duke of Mantua) Daniela Dyakova and Teresa Brakalova (Madalena) Momchil Karaivanov and Stoyan Buyukliev (Borsa)  The choir and orchestra of the State Opera - Stara Zagora will take part The choirmasters are Mladen Stanev and Stefania Ruseva and the concertmaster is Paulina Zaharieva Rigoletto was first staged in Stara Zagora in June 1934 The Japanese drum group Wadaiko Sai will introduce the public in Sofia and Stara Zagora to the art of taiko drumming on November 5 and 7 The events are featured in the programme of the 35th Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria "We are looking forward to our first encounter with the Bulgarian audience," the group’s founder urging people to join them and experience the rhythm of Japanese taiko drums Starting as an interest club at the University of Tokyo the drum group entered the professional scene in 2013 it has had over 2,000 concerts in more than 30 countries around the world The group has performed at various occasions a Serie A match and anniversary events organized by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Wadaiko Sai's concert tour includes stops in France Their visit to Bulgaria celebrates three major anniversaries in Japan-Bulgaria relations: 115 years since the first official contacts 85 years since diplomatic relations were established is Japan’s traditional percussion instrument taiko had found its place in Japanese court music it was also used in wartime to signal messages and boost morale and featured in the classical performing arts of Kabuki and Nagauta in the 17th-19th centuries Taiko drums also found broader uses in Japanese life BG | EN the local government in Stara Zagora is disregarding the public interest in favor of private interests the Municipal Council voted in March of this year to change the General Development Plan of the city for two urbanized properties Previously designated as green areas for public use – parks or gardens their purpose is now set to change (if the decision comes into effect) to low-rise residential construction An investigation by “Za istinata” (“For the Truth”) revealed that one of the parcel owners is Krasimira Hristova the wife of Radislav Hristov – the chairman of the Union of Thracian Grain Producers in Bulgaria and a member of the board of the national sector union The Spatial Development Act regulates complex public relationships They must balance public and private interests but they should be particularly cautious when it comes to preserving green spaces as citizens are especially sensitive to this issue The local government in Stara Zagora likes to present the city almost as a green oasis in an urbanized area practice shows that the municipal council votes on amendments to the General Development Plan that allow for the removal of not just one or two hectares of forests and parks which were afforested during the communist regime in the country Among the latest examples is the saga of cutting down more than 70 trees part of the park adjacent to the former party school in the “Tri Chuchura” neighborhood now a private property of “Property Start” LLC This also includes the decision to change the designation of 9 decares of forest in the lands of the village of Sulitza which gives a “green light” to businessman and former officer of the now-defunct State Security (the repressive apparatus of the communist state) Ventsislav Draganov to pursue his investment plan for the construction of a holiday village the Municipal Council in Stara Zagora voted on a decision to change the General Development Plan (GDP) for two land properties in the area of “Bozhi Rid” within the lands of the village of Bogomilovo They are located northwest of the Thracian University and in close proximity to the tennis courts of the family complex Jack “charmingly nestled among a pine forest,” as stated in one advertisement Both properties are designated as forest areas with a use designation of “other non-timber forest land,” according to the ownership documents and sketches of the land parcels issued by the Geodesy and Cadastre Office in Stara Zagora in 2023 the municipal councilors gave preliminary consent for the change to the General Development Plan (GDP) but only after the proposal was re-voted—a common practice in the Municipal Council when the majority does not vote “correctly.” in violation of the Council’s rules of procedure proposed the project for the change to the GDP for a third vote (without any change in circumstances) after it had been rejected twice before municipal councilors shared that they had been pressured to support the decision to change the GDP only Maria Dineva—the chairwoman of the previous council and now of the local coalition “Agrarian People’s Union”—stated during a meeting of the permanent commission on territorial and urban planning that a man she knows well called her to say that she would need to vote for the change to the GDP at the next session After Dineva responded that she and her colleagues would not change their stance she heard the retort on the phone: “Well Boyko has voted for something and later changed his mind Similar brazen insinuations were directed at me in a phone conversation with a public figure whose name I will mention when the plot leads to him 1037 and 1038 from March 27 of this year were approved by the Stara Zagora Municipal Council with 32 votes for the first and 30 votes for the second when the General Development Plan (GDP) is changed for urbanized areas where the properties are designated for landscaping a qualified majority or the votes of 34 municipal councilors is required And this is only in exceptionally rare cases listed in the Spatial Development Act the lawyers of the Stara Zagora Municipality hold a different opinion—whether due to incompetence or fully conscious awareness is known only to them and their superiors In a comment to “For the Truth,” experts stated that the mentioned properties are in an urbanized area Supporting their claim is the fact that a public discussion was held for the change to the GDP for these properties which the law does not require in other cases In the proposals from Mayor Todorov to the municipal councilors for the approval of the amendment to the General Development Plan it is indicated that in the previous GDP from 2011 the two land parcels were designated as a residential area with low-rise and free-standing primary construction this designated area is planned for landscaped areas for public use according to the proposer of the amendment renders the properties practically unusable and contradicts the investment intentions of the contractor to change their designation due to serious changes in socio-economic conditions (according to Article 134 and referencing this regulation in the Spatial Development Act is strange but municipal councilors comment that the administration uses it with every submission of a proposal for changing the GDP of Stara Zagora is that the investment intentions of property owners should not be hindered when they request a change in the designation of their properties while the properties in question were acquired in 2023 The buyers were well aware that they were purchasing forests protected by law and designated for landscaping following a promise from the higher echelons of the municipal administration that the designation of the properties could be changed the contractors are submitting projects to amend the GDP in order to align the designated zone and development parameters of their properties with those of neighboring ones which have been designated as a residential area only one neighboring property’s designation was changed and that was before the new GDP from 2022 came into effect who is the proposer of the amendment in the Municipal Council refers to an opinion from the Regional Directorate of Forests – Stara Zagora agreeing to the project for amending the General Development Plan which states that “the investment intention will not affect the implementation of forestry and hunting activities.” In a statement to “Za istinata” (“For the Truth”) the Regional Directorate of Forests explained that projects for amending the General Development Plan (GDP) must be coordinated through their territorial divisions – the forestry and hunting enterprises A forestry plan from 2016 states that the area in question (planted with coniferous trees over half a century ago) is in poor condition the forest is alive and visibly does not look bad although this is merely an opinion at first glance The proposal from the proposer indicates that the property owners submitted project documentation along with opinions and conclusions from the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Waters (RIEW) as well as minutes from the public discussion of the proposal to change the GDP and from the decision of the Expert Council for Territorial Planning (ECTP) these documents were not provided to the councilors so they could make an informed decision (with the exception of the ECTP opinion) nor were they published on the municipal website The “Revival” group in the Municipal Council has notified the regional governor of Stara Zagora about the illegal decision regarding the change to the GDP The reasons can be read here (Word document) Among the most important is the lack of the above-mentioned opinions and decisions from the relevant institutions as well as the fact that no documents were attached to the announcement for the public discussion and that the councilors were not provided with the minutes from it Announcement for a public discussion on a project for a partial amendment to the General Development Plan of Stara Zagora Municipality – Parcel 04738.90.40 land of the village of Bogomilovo | Stara Zagora Municipality ↗ the councilors from the party of Kostadin Kostadinov indicate that the proposals to change the GDP of Stara Zagora had already been rejected by decisions of the Municipal Council on October 31 and December 18 of last year and were resubmitted for a third time without any changes in the relevant circumstances grossly violate the Rules of Procedure for the Organization and Activities of the Municipal Council specifically the conditions of Article 36(3) according to which “Submitted projects for the adoption of acts of the council that have been rejected cannot be resubmitted if they have the same or similar subject except in the event of a change in specific circumstances.” Aristotle said long ago that the law should govern we explain every disorder in the state by citing bad laws Whether the Spatial Development Act (ZUT) is good or bad But there is no doubt that in this case we are examining and this is not a precedent in the work of the Stara Zagora Municipal Council Because often the majority votes on decisions not in favor of all but only for certain citizens whose rights prove to be prioritized and more important than the rights of others it is evident that the Mayor of Stara Zagora is lobbying for the interests of Radislav Hristov he would not be so insistent on pushing through the change in the designation of the properties in the General Development Plan at any cost How many of the trees in these properties will be cut down will become clear after the detailed development plan (PUP) is created In a telephone conversation with Radislav Hristov yesterday he confirmed to “For the Truth” that he is the husband of Krasimira Hristova—the owner of one of the properties “I know you and I know what you will write… I will decide whether to sue you.” he asked why I thought he would cut down the forest What ideas Radislav Hristov has for his wife’s property is of no interest to anyone the request for a change in its designation clearly indicates it is for residential construction but what does some public interest mean in this context Instead of continuously submitting proposals for changes to the General Development Plan (GDP) the Mayor of Stara Zagora should follow the guidelines from the regional ministry as reflected in its position on processing amendments to the GDP of municipalities It clearly states that “in order to provide conditions for sustainable development of the municipality’s territory the procedure for amending the GDP should not be conducted for a separate private initiative but for grouped cases on a common characteristic related to a specific necessity while adhering to a balanced approach for the development of all types of territories covered by the GDP.” The population in Stara Zagora continues to decline unofficially falling below 100,000 residents the construction of new residential buildings continues but those with financial means no longer want to live they are increasingly looking toward the outskirts and they can reside in single-family homes the local government is doing everything in its power to assist in realizing these “investment intentions.” Ordinary citizens are left with the right to contest the illegal decisions of the local government and to protest when that right is taken away from them “Za istinata” (“For the Truth”) attempted to seek opinions from the chairwoman of the Municipal Council but was unable to establish contact with any of them Още разследвания „За истината“ спазва Eтичния кодекс на българските медии. За нас | Контакти | Подаване на сигнал | Дарения | Партньори | Условия за ползване | Политика за бисквитките „За истината“ © 2024. Някои права запазени Follow us on Instagram for the most striking images from the very center of life in the air and the land The first two griffon vultures that hatched in 2024 at the Stara Zagora Zoo have been released into the wild in the Kresna Gorge the press centre of Stara Zagora Municipality said on Wednesday They added that a colony of griffon and black vultures has already been formed near the village of Rakitna and provides the necessary conditions for the species They also pointed out that they are being cared for by the Wild Flora and Fauna Fund which manages the feeding site and carries out field activities in the area under the Life for the Bearded Vulture project The young birds are the offspring of one of the griffon vulture pairs at the Stara Zagora Zoo and were hatched in the incubator of the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre The centre will also monitor the condition and location of the two griffon vultures with satellite transmitters which were purchased through a donation campaign as the news of their hatching attracted great public interest The southern city of Stara Zagora is hosting a forum on Bulgaria and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the Context of National Economic Development and the Green Transition which opened Thursday and will be on until Friday is being organized by the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs The first day was attended by the Polish Deputy Ambassador to Bulgaria Anna Janiszewska-Fraczek the First Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Hungary in Bulgaria Nandor Zemniczky and the Trade Attaché of the Trade Representation of Turkiye in Plovdiv Armagan Al The forum was opened by Stara Zagora Municipal Council chair Iveta Lazarova who welcomed the guests to what she called "the greenest city in Bulgaria" She expressed hope that the exchange of experience during the conference will be useful for all countries and contribute to the process of Bulgaria's accession to the OECD "The purpose of the forum we are organizing is to clearly state Bulgaria's priority for membership in the OECD," said Tanya Mihailova She noted that there are many dimensions to it "We are glad that there are also foreign guests who will share their experience we will expect to hear what the local representatives of the business and the trade unions have to say," Mihailova said Romania and Croatia are the last three member states of the European Union that have not yet joined the OECD and added that when a country is a member of the OECD it automatically means that the investment climate and business environment are good suitable for investments and the practices in that country can be trusted Director of the Foreign Economic Relations and Development Cooperation Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Bulgaria's candidacy for membership in the OECD is a foreign economic priority that enjoys wide support and is being worked hard on Deputy Economy and Industry Minister Nikolay Pavlov and Deputy Innovation and Growth Minister Krasimir Yakimov are also among the participants in the forum The situation regarding the numerous fires across Bulgaria remains challenging Firefighters extinguished 228 fires in a single day there were also nine false alarms logged by the Fire Service prompting the evacuation of residents and animals A partial state of emergency has been declared due to a significant fire in the "7th Kilometer" region near the Stara Zagora villa area with officials warning that residents may need to evacuate their cottages if necessary although one residential building was lost secretary of the Municipality of Stara Zagora explained that a fire was reported in a hard-to-reach area around 3:30 p.m but the fire quickly spread due to high temperatures and dense vegetation worked to manage the blaze and safeguard homes Regional governor Metodi Markov noted that assistance is expected from the EU including two planes and two helicopters from Romania The aircraft will be deployed to control the fire in Haskovo with the helicopters anticipated to arrive around noon Two additional Bulgarian helicopters are also expected Firefighters' primary concern is the potential for the fire to reignite in the afternoon due to high temperatures highlighted that the main challenge was deploying teams effectively to protect homes with one particularly hazardous front in broad-leaved and mixed forest areas where air support is anticipated The cause of the fire is still under investigation A 37-year-old man from Stara Zagora has been detained after physically assaulting his two daughters The Stara Zagora Prosecutor's Office has arrested and charged a man with sexual assault Efforts to manage the smoldering fires at the old sludge depot near the Plovdiv village of Katunitsa are ongoing US Federal authorities are investigating incidents of fires at two ballot drop boxes in the Portland area of Oregon as well as a separate fire in the nearby Vancouver area of Washington a total of 142 fires were extinguished across Bulgari Greece has experienced the outbreak of over 20 new fires Israel has turned to Bulgaria for assistance in battling the rapidly advancing wildfires in areas near Jerusalem The Bulgarian mobile operator A1 has confirmed that it is experiencing technical difficulties affecting both calls and text messages across its network A series of minor earthquakes were recorded in the Nessebar area with the strongest tremor measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale A woman sustained serious injuries after being attacked with pepper spray and an electroshock device and subsequently set on fire inside a hospital in the Bulgarian town of Botevgrad A 25-year-old man is in critical condition following an accident at the amusement park in Yambol A serious traffic accident in the Bulgarian town of Harmanli has left a 13-year-old child in critical condition after he was struck by a car while riding an electric scooter The Bulgarian company Smart Solar Technologies AD will invest 120 million euros in a factory for the production of solar panels and cells in the village of Elenino The company is part of Smart Energy Group AD included in the list of projects that will receive funding under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan for the development of the coal region in transition a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bulgarian government and the private company was approved at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday The company's plan is to build a plant to manufacture solar panels and cells with a capacity of 1.5 GW The plant will be located in the extension of the industrial zone "Zagore" near Elenino The National Company of Industrial Zones and the Municipality of Stara Zagora are shareholders in that industrial park The expectation is that 812 jobs will be created at the new factory.  The Council of Ministers also decided to create an interdepartmental working group to provide institutional support for the implementation of this project The solar panels produced will be mainly intended for export to European markets - Germany The investment will contribute to the development of the municipality of Stara Zagora by generating sustainable employment increasing local economic activity and improving the well-being of the population," states the decision of the Council of Ministers it was announced that the "Elenino" industrial zone in Stara Zagora will receive a grant of about 7 million euros from the Ministry of Innovation and Growth The local administration won a tender to build the infrastructure and the relevant activities must be completed by January 1 we will have a completely ready industrial zone including high-tech companies with high added value" adding that there was already specific interest from investors from the words of the city’s deputy mayor it became clear that the municipality had already attracted one investor while conducting negotiations with a second one Smart Solar is part of Smart Energy Group - a group of leading companies in the field of construction and production of electricity from renewable energy sources as well as a manufacturer of photovoltaic panels The plans for the construction of the plant near Stara Zagora are not new The company has long stated its intention to also open a production facility in Bulgaria It was evident as early as 2023 that it would receive European funding for such a project Smart Solar was registered in Bulgaria in 2009 according to the Bulgarian Commercial Register The company has also been very active in the Turkish market since 2014 as it currently has four solar panel factories in that country Their annual solar panel production capacity is expected to be 2.9 GW and solar cell production capacity to be 2 GW by the 4th quarter of 2024 The Turkish side of the business operation is also led by Demirdag who is also the president of the Turkish Solar Energy Industry Association (GENSED) The company's vision is to be "the company of the future by creating value through the innovative renewable energy and technology solutions we offer," according to its website are entirely those of their author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Commission Neither the European Union nor the European Commission is responsible for them More than 400 classic cars took part in the XIX edition of the traditional classic car show here on Saturday held on occasion of October 5 - Day of the city of Stara Zagora "I would like to congratulate the organizers of the Stara Zagora Automobile Club Retro and its President Geno Ivanov for turning this event into a celebration of the entire automobile community For many people cars are a means of transportation passion and a way of life," said Nikolay Dikov He stressed that "the love for classic cars is something special because to restore and take care of an old car requires a lot of knowledge because thanks to all of you we can enjoy these wonderful cars which are a kind of bridge of time," said Dikov The cup of the organizer "Stara Zagora Automobile Club Retro" was received by Georgi Karadzhov with his Mercedes 124 convertible Visitors had the opportunity to see a bicycle from 1905 and the oldest car was a Studebaker made in 1937 Trophies were also awarded for best preserved car Guests from all over Bulgaria as well as teams from Romania Czechia and Germany took part in the event just two days after we marked Roma Holocaust Memorial Day and paid tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Romani children women and men wiped off the face of the earth in the Nazi-orchestrated racist genocide This Tuesday morning is different for Roma living on Vitosha Street in the Roma neighborhood of Lozenets They are waiting for the municipal excavators to demolish the only homes they own.  Upon entering the neighborhood at 8 o'clock in the morning They had demolished their houses themselves to take the bricks and whatever else could be used with the swollen eyes of people who have not slept from anxiety and worry They were in a hurry because the excavators would come at 9 o'clock and the demolition would begin The tension in the air could be strongly felt and cut with a knife and it felt like I was attending a funeral facing the imminent loss of their homes; something they knew they would have to come to terms with there could be no reconciling with this loss walking in line in front of the houses of the Roma as if the trauma they were inflicting was not enough this is what round-ups must have looked like 76 years ago at the scene of house demolitions last year declared that his vision of Stara Zagora “does not include a Gypsy ghetto” Police guard the journalists and none of the Roma are allowed to speak to them; nobody even asks them for a word about what’s going on "I'm sick," and feel faint are comforted by others who bring them water and soothe them Children telephone from abroad to ask their parents how they are calm them down and say that everything will be fine He has proven once again that he is more than willing to take a hard line with the Roma including the rich in their illegally-built Under the table payments have ensured that these dwellings won’t ever face the wrecking ball As the demolition takes place I hear Roma quietly curse the mayor in desperation “May you never again see the light of day” The Roma have lived in this neighbourhood for 30 years now trapped under a tractor while driving drunk This latest forced eviction is his fourth in a row the latest in this time of the pandemic brings the total up to 300 houses At least 1,500 broken dreams and lives.  All sorts of things were reported in the media about this eviction the better-informed Roma actually sought to purchase the land on which the properties were built but received evasive and dishonest replies to their requests: the land is not for sale They went to the municipality to apply for social housing At the counter they were asked if they worked they were told it made no sense and weren’t even given application forms.  The municipality had warned them about what was coming in September last year they could buy land elsewhere and start building there But who with any sense would buy plots of land where there is neither water nor electricity I posted a small part of what’s written here on my Facebook wall to vent the raw grief felt on the ground here in Lozenets; to share the injustice suffered by these people Trolls commenting on my post suggested that I should: "Stop defending the gypsies," because "their houses are illegal," and anyway "they are to blame." for years these are people have been manipulated by local politicians and utterly neglected by the local administration pregnant women and adults cannot sleep on the street under the stars This is completely inhumane – no child should be punished for their parents' legal mistakes especially when such oversights had been acceptable for 30 years.  As COVID-19 continues to spread in Bulgaria with the total number of cases topping 13,000 these vulnerable people need humanity and support the municipality has acted once again with cruelty and malice come to the Roma neighbourhood with bulldozers and left nothing in their wake but ruins in the dust.  This action was funded by the European Union’s Rights Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020) The content of this post represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains Site Map | Privacy | Permissions | Copyright © 2025 ERRC The baker says, “Sorry, we just ran out of bread, but we’ve got plenty of politicians who’ll promise to bring some tomorrow!”... read The Bulgarian replied, "Simple, we just put everything in a pot, add a little rakia, and let the flavors fight it out!" It’s a recipe for success… and possibly a ... read While speaking briefly with the media, Trump took a question on the stock market drop following the tariffs and said, "I think it's going very well," and added that the United States will "have six or seven trillion dollars coming into our country."He further said, "The markets are going ... read 'This is not the time to go it alone,' Rutte warns, as he says 'no alternative to NATO'Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte is speaking again, giving a lecture at the Warsaw School of Economics in which he strongly backs the role of the alliance and tells both Europe and the ... read Capturing spring in Bulgaria: A blooming season through our lens Spring in Bulgaria is a time of vibrant renewal marked by blooming flowers and milder weather the countryside transforms with colorful wildflowers such as snowdrops Cities and villages alike celebrate the season » See all photos The area affected by the large fire raging north of Stara Zagora is currently about 700 hectares Director of the Stara Zagora State Forestry Enterprise Ivan Chergelanov told reporters The exact forest area affected is yet to be determined Chergelanov pointed out that forced logging is likely to take place in some parts ravaged by the fire Firefighters from Stara Zagora, Kazanlak and Sofia, military personnel and volunteers are battling the fire, that started on Monday at around 3.30 p.m The local administration reported that nearly 70 volunteers took part in battling the fire on Tuesday morning The parliamentary group of the Socialists (BSP) has moved for a hearing of the caretaker Prime Minister the Interior Minister and the Agriculture Minister on the measures that are being taken to control the fires across the country and the options for supporting those harmed by the fires BSP floor leader Borislav Gutsanov is quoted as saying that Parliament in dialogue with the executive power branch must map out measures for dealing with the aftermath of fires and helping those who suffered damage Parliament is about to consider a draft budget update submitted by the caretaker Cabinet and now is the right time to plan the necessary funding BSP propose that the hearing be held on July 17 responding to a kind invitation of Metropolitan Kyprianos of Stara (Old) Zagora on the 5th and 6th of December 2023 visited the beautiful city of Stara Zagora (until the 8th century was called Veria) on the occasion of the feast of the Holy Cathedral of the city of Agios Nikolaos abbot of the Stavropegial Monastery of Bačkovo also participated in the Vespers and the Divine Liturgy Both the address of Metropolitan Kyprianos and the response of Metropolitan Damaskinos stressed the need for the unity of the Ecclesiastical Body and the loving cooperation of the local Churches and especially those who serve in the same wider area of Thrace such as those of the province of Stara Zagora and the province of Didymoteicho offered to the Metropolitan of Stara Zagora an icon of the Virgin Mary with the Amaranth Rose a work of the hagiographer Sophia Papazoglou A car once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem is being transformed into a mobile.. the Monastery of Saint Vlash in Albania hosted a festal Divine Liturgy on the.. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece presided over the festal Great Vespers at the historic.. The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century Archbishop Elpidophoros of America arrived at Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center in Dunlap 2025—the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women—Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Patriarchal and Concelebratory Divine.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website the Municipal Council of Stara Zagora voted to support the municipality’s representative in “Industrial Zone Zagore” AD in the upcoming shareholders’ general assembly regarding the signing of a loan agreement with the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) The funds will be used for the development and enhancement of the future “Industrial Zone Zagore-Elendino,” which includes the site of Stara Zagora Airport—the first civilian airport in the country was included as an urgent item on the session’s agenda Debates on the topic lasted for over an hour with municipal councilors from “Vazrazhdane” being the only opponents to the mayor of Stara Zagora The dispute over whether or not to have an airport in Stara Zagora has been ongoing for years with advocates on both sides presenting their positions The mayor of the municipality has been an advocate for the position that the airport has no future and should be transformed into an industrial zone Zhivko Todorov described the claim that an airport could be an urban planning element as nonsensical stating that an airport is only built when a city has a need for it He reminded them that Stara Zagora Airport had operated flights that were discontinued long before its license was revoked due to unprofitability and lack of interest “Now there is just a large area that cannot be called an airport,” asserts Zhivko Todorov the regulations governing its construction and operation have changed so much that according to the new technical requirements the airport would literally need to be built from scratch in order to be licensed an investment of hundreds of millions of BGN will be required Plans to transform the airport into an economic zone date back nearly ten years The airport is owned by the State Consolidation Company and was pledged as collateral for a loan to the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) After the loan was repaid at the beginning of last year This opens the possibility for the municipality of Stara Zagora to request the Ministry of Economy and Industry to transfer the airport and the land on which it is built to them without cost the municipality would not be able to conduct dispositional transactions or sell lands which are the intentions of the local authorities who is a member of the Executive Commission of the GERB party has likely received assurance that the land—around 2,000 decares—will be sold to “Industrial Zone Zagore” for 54 million BGN including VAT which translates to a price of 26 BGN per square meter significantly lower than the current market price “This will provide an additional opportunity for the zone to make good deals and have greater revenues,” justified the mayor during the Municipal Council session this is an offer from the GERB government to a GERB mayor Among the arguments against retaining the airport besides the impracticality of investing funds for its repair and maintenance without guarantees of return the mayor also pointed out that there are functioning airports 200 kilometers to the east in Burgas and 100 kilometers to the west in Plovdiv this land cannot meet all the technical requirements and urban planning standards,” the mayor commented a petition was submitted by residents of the “Kolyu Ganchev” neighborhood against the idea of restoring the airport It is located just a few hundred meters from residential and industrial buildings It is interesting how the Sofia Municipality ensures the safety of people in Sofia neighborhoods over which hundreds of heavy aircraft fly around the clock The mayor referred to the project for the new economic zone as an investment in the future which will most likely yield returns only after 7-8 years The municipality is a majority shareholder in “Industrial Zone Zagore” with a 58% stake which means it will also have to take on a corresponding part of the loan that the BDB is expected to grant for the construction of the new “Industrial Zone Zagore-Elendino.” did not mention and none of the councilors asked where the money for the construction of infrastructure in the individual industrial lands will come from or whether the municipality would become burdened with new debts amounting to tens of millions The Stara Zagora organization of “Vazrazhdane” issued a declaration asking for the proposal to be withdrawn until citizens are transparently informed about the benefits and negatives of closing the airport which can only happen after a thorough analysis of the existing data During a meeting between “Vazrazhdane” MP Daniel Prodanov and Minister Grozdan Karadzhov the minister and his team maintained the position that it would be beneficial to preserve the Stara Zagora airport as part of the network of small airports in the country This viewpoint was also expressed in a written response from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to MPs Iskra Mihailova and Daniel Prodanov: “In the context of the expected development of vertical takeoff and landing flights and unmanned aerial systems for the transport of passengers The Ministry of Transport and Communications’ principled stance is to preserve and develop existing airports as part of the overall transportation infrastructure Not everyone shares the same view in the Ministry of Economy and Industry The new minister has yet to respond to the questions posed by Kostadin Kostadinov’s MPs regarding the status of the airport in Stara Zagora In a previous response from the interim minister Petko Nikolov it was indicated that the airport has many advantages both as a potential location for a major investment project and for the development of an industrial zone due to its large area and existing infrastructure elements—such as electricity and sewage—that allow for a quick start to an investment project The response indicates that the possibilities for restoring and developing the former civil airport have been considered multiple times but the expert assessment concludes that such actions would be inefficient and would not lead to the expected outcomes for the development of Stara Zagora Previous ministers of economy have expressed similar positions to the leadership of the Stara Zagora municipality said Mayor Zhivko Todorov during the discussion on the topic the mayor emphasized that numerous negotiations with large companies and potential investors have ended in failure precisely due to the lack of a designated large area with established infrastructure for production development which has resulted in significant missed opportunities A report by Industry Watch from a few years ago identified this same issue as a major challenge for the city Mayor Todorov expects the development of a new industrial zone to provide alternative employment for those affected by the transition to a neutral economy in Bulgaria over the coming years which will impact at least 80% of jobs in the energy and mining sectors in the region the new cabinet guarantees that operations at the “Maritsa East” complex will not be shut down before 2038 Someone has evidently misled the Minister of Economy into believing that the new industrial zone will have ready infrastructure Architect Veselin Berov—one of the advocates for preserving the airport—asserts that if it is converted into an industrial zone and a sewage system that returns water 1.5 kilometers to the collector will need to be constructed This will cost the municipality tens of millions of BGN which it does not have and will need to seek through European funds and programs The architect has developed a Pro bono project for development that combines an airport on a 1,000-decare land area with a runway and a place for parking aircraft alongside an industrial zone that allows for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises The project is set to be presented publicly The decision voted on by the Municipal Council of Stara Zagora to convert the former civil airport (where military aircraft were stationed nearly a century ago) into an industrial zone is not yet final or at least this is what opponents of the idea want to believe not just from “Vazrazhdane,” have commented that the future sales of industrial land in the new zone will benefit companies and individuals close to GERB Those who are selling will also profit from the deals The difference between a politician and a statesman lies in the fact that politicians think within the scope of their term while a statesman considers at least 50 years ahead Whether the mayor of Stara Zagora and his team are visionaries is something the public can judge based on their actions and decisions in the context of the technological revolution and particularly the increasing automation of various industries what a city will need more—an industrial zone or an airport that can accommodate all types of small as well as agricultural planes where pilots can be trained prepare for war!” Its relevance is evidently not even suspected by today’s leaders in Stara Zagora they would consider an unfavorable (God forbid) scenario regarding the escalation of the war in Ukraine Because the peace promised by former President Donald Trump is by no means guaranteed will the airport infrastructure be neglected in such an unacceptable manner And what would military experts say about this topic Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva said the Stara Zagora hydrogen valley project would get EUR 8.2 million in EU funds 1 She highlighted the significance of renewable energy solutions The ministry has invested in the development of the concept of a hydrogen valley including infrastructure in the area of Stara Zagora Bulgaria aspires to be among the 20 countries in the world with a working hydrogen valley The minister added that the project would receive EUR 8.2 million Hydrogen technologies will significantly support the decarbonization of Bulgaria’s economy The ministry noted that it issued a national hydrogen roadmap with a focus on hydrogen It opens up an innovative segment for business and the economy as well as new investment opportunities Low-carbon hydrogen projects rely heavily on subsidies obtained through electrolysis using renewable electricity which includes the utilization of nuclear power But the technology has a long way to go to become competitive with hydrogen produced directly from fossil gas so investors still rely on massive subsidies in the EU The Zagora Sustainable Hydrogen Region (ZAHYR) was one of seven smaller projects of the kind that won grants of EUR 8 million each in January from Horizon Europe They were approved through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership Minister of Energy Rumen Radev, who took office in June with the new cabinet was involved in the development of the ZAHYR project United nuclear has made a solar powered hydrogen fuel cell that can be used in almost any device 02 May 2025 - The project is located in Constanța county recognized for its superior yields in green energy production 02 May 2025 - The Sunčana (Sunny) Vipava project envisages installing solar power plants with a combined capacity of 20 MW 30 April 2025 - OMV put into operation its 10 MW green hydrogen plant at the Schwechat refinery 30 April 2025 - It is the second time this year that MVM contracted gas-fueled and hydrogen-ready power plants at sites of former fossil fuel facilities © CENTER FOR PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2008-2020 website developed by ogitive The saga surrounding the plagiarism investigation of Professor Dobri Yankov rector of Trakia University (TrU) in Stara Zagora What do you think — did the Academic Ethics Commission (AEC) pronounce a verdict and revoke his academic title of “professor” Such a result was expected by all the naive individuals familiar with this case scholars from academic circles in Bulgaria it turned out that on November 12 of last year decided to terminate the plagiarism investigation against Professor Yankov on the grounds that the legally established deadline for drafting a report on the incoming signal had expired This fact circulated as a rumor in the corridors of the ministry and Trakia University even before Associate Professor Lazarin Lazarov — the author of the plagiarism signal against Professor Yankov — received a copy of the official response from the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) to the chief secretary of the Ombudsman regarding the case It stated that after the appointed investigation the Academic Ethics Commission reviewed all the documentation attached to the signal and decided to proceed with the selection of three arbitrators These were appointed by October 22 of last year the 14-day period stipulated by the legislator had already expired Here it is important to clarify that according to the provision of Article 30 Paragraph 8 of the Academic Staff Development Act Academic Ethics Commission that determines at least three arbitrators for the specific procedure and it itself has exceeded the designated time for their selection According to the MoES response to the National Ombudsman its members decided to suspend the substantive investigations on signals that were beyond the legally established deadlines for drafting a report by them This includes the signal from Associate Professor Lazarov submitted on September 5 of last year.” (Associate Professor Lazarin Lazarov is a former dean of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty at TrU who was dismissed disciplinarily by the rector on July 19 of last year The district court in Stara Zagora annulled Professor Yankov’s order and he appealed the decision to the regional court.) From this entirely formal institutional response which Associate Professor Lazarov poses to Minister Krasimir Valchev in an open letter to him circulated to the media on March 19 but not published in any the following stand out as the most important: Minister Valchev is obliged to answer these questions because will continue to believe that as a deputy from the Stara Zagora electoral district in several parliaments he indeed protected the rector of TrU and gave silent consent for the plagiarism investigation to be terminated This practice of shielding plagiarists in our academic circles has proven to be more widespread and resilient than society ever anticipated It corrupts the scientific community and sends a bad signal that anyone can build a career by stealing others’ scientific works or parts of them the tolerance for vulgarity and mediocrity is on the verge of killing the few remaining virtues of our educational system we lose everything!” concludes the former dean from Trakia University in his Open Letter to Krasimir Valchev “Za istinata” (“For the truth”) has written several times on this subject not only about Professor Yankov’s plagiarism but also about his authoritarian management style If I had the right to file a lawsuit against the Minister of Education on this case Over EUR 1 billion will be available for the coal regions of Stara Zagora Pernik and Kyustendil under the Regional Development Program Priority 3 – Just Transition Fund (JTF) The opportunities for citizens and businesses in these regions affected by the coal phase-out were presented by Radka Tileva manager of the Regional Information Center (RIC) – Stara Zagora Radka, during the “Just Transition in Stara Zagora” conference organized by Brand Media Bulgaria in partnership with the Regional Economic Development Agency – ​​Stara Zagora (SZEDA) and the “Europe Direct” Center – Stara Zagora The event forms part of the EU-funded project "Career Transition of Opportunities" (TOP JOBS) According to the implementation plan of the program a total of 8 measures will be announced this year These programs have a combined impact on three aspects of the transition A budget of 1.5 million euros will finance a mapping of the skills of indirectly affected individuals in the areas most affected by the climate transition Tileva noted that there is a similar program under the Recovery Plan (RRP) but that one maps only those directly affected by the transition The results of the JTF-funded program will be used at a later stage to determine which area needs an increase in reskilling and upskilling efforts The "Support for workers in the affected sectors through training for qualification and requalification" initiative is also underway with a budget of 55 million euros. It is aimed at employees in companies - operators of thermal power plants and concessionaires of coal deposits The first deadline for applying under it is March 13 The "Diversification and Adaptation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to the Economic Transition" call has also been open since the end of January small and medium-sized enterprises from all over the country but the investments they apply for should be implemented in the territory of the "just transition" regions in the municipalities affected by the coal phase-out The deadline for submitting projects is May 15 Eligible under it are investments in production capacities development of new productions or expansion of existing ones A long-awaited program under the JTF is "Support for Industrial and Logistics Parks" which is expected to start by the end of March with 55 million euros allocated for Stara Zagora and 10 nearby affected municipalities the plan is to also open "Support for Energy Communities for Sustainable and Clean Energy Solutions" with a total budget of 150 million euros. The idea is to introduce the use of green energy in the final energy consumption of public buildings; encourage the creation of energy communities; and increase the use of energy from renewable sources small and medium-sized enterprises and municipalities in the regions it should start between the second and third quarters of the year The "Production investments in large enterprises" call with a budget of 232 million euros will open this year targeting only Stara Zagora. The funding will be used for the renovation of existing production assets and the construction of new production assets for new activities The grant will be up to 50% of the total cost and no more than 15 million euros It is expected to open in the second quarter of 2025 Now is the time to think about how this can benefit large enterprises in the region," said Rumyana Grozeva Executive Director of the Regional Economic Development Agency - Stara Zagora who also acted as the event’s moderator a "Mining Land Reclamation Program" will also be launched with funding of 282 million euros. The money will be used to restore the lands disturbed by mining activities in compliance with the "polluter pays" principle This is the so-called primary land reclamation and preparation of the terrain for alternative economic activities (development of industrial/logistics zones construction of renewable energy capacities) The call should be opened in April - June this year.  These calls are at the initial stage of developing the application conditions," Tileva specified Another important program - "Qualification and retraining to support the green transition" - is expected to start this year but at a later stage The reason is that it must first take into account the mapping study and the results it provides The results will be included in the conditions of this call It will have a budget of 62 million euros and is expected to start accepting applications in the 3rd/4th quarter The "Capacity for a hydrogen value-added chain" program should also become available this year It has a budget of 145 million euros and is for environmental impact studies the creation of hydrogen production facilities - fuel cells small and medium-sized enterprises in partnership with municipalities and other organizations can apply for it The "Support for photovoltaic parks" program (70 million euros) should also open under the JTF this year. It will support the construction of photovoltaic parks with electrolyzers and/or storage systems and applications will begin to be accepted in the third quarter of the year The "Clean Energy" call (69 million euros) will aim to promote energy efficiency in SMEs through the implementation of biogas wind turbines and geothermal energy installations 68.5 million euros will be allocated for "Support for Research and Development" (R&D) The funding will increase the R&D internal capacity in enterprises; development of product and production innovations; development of green products through a circular economy and cooperation with academia the last two programs will become available at the end of the year 147 years have passed since the battles for the defence of Stara Zagora in 1877 As a sign of respect and appreciation for the heroism of those who died for freedom at the "Defenders of Stara Zagora" memorial complex a solemn ritual with a prayer and the offering of wreaths and flowers in memory of the known and unknown defenders of the city will take place Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev has left for Washington where he will participate in the Munich Leaders Meeting (May 5-7 The forum is organised by the Munich Security Conference The foundation Unity- Kočani has sent an open letter to key Bulgarian institutions expressing gratitude for the support and humanitarian assistance provided by Bulgaria after the tragedy of the fire at a nightclub in Kočani The foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Greece Georg Georgiev and Giorgos Gerapetritis signed a joint declaration on the use of the waters of the river Arda on 2 May the BNR reports citing an announcement published by the Greek Foreign Ministry.. people will be able to withdraw money  from ATMs only in the new currency according to the website of the Bulgarian. helicopters of the Bulgarian Air Force will fly at low altitude over Sofia in preparation for a military parade marking the Day. Funding has been secured for the European programs “Care at Home” and “Hot Meal” Bulgarian railway infrastructure is being reconstructed in line with the European standards in railway transport Today the European Commission and Bulgarian institutions are inaugurating the Stara Zagora train station which the EU co-funded with EUR 5.9 million from the European Regional Development Fund The Stara Zagora train station is now completely renovated including all the installation systems and the reception buildings A complete architectural renovation of the station was carried out including among others a replacement of the electricity installation The benefits for the travellers extend far beyond the boundaries of the train station itself Thanks to the EU support the new railway infrastructure offers adequate and enjoyable conditions for passengers and ensures a comfortable work environment for employees The EU-funded project improved services as a whole and the image of railway transport The works have also increased the energy efficiency of public spaces as well as making the surrounding space compliant with the requirements for accessibility of people with disabilities and disadvantaged people Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.