ISLAMABAD, Oct 13 (APP): The National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) has presented the awards Contribution to Local Self-Government and Partner of the Municipalities in the Perunika Hall at the Albena resort.
The Voice of the Municipalities honorary certificate for 2025 was awarded to Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev, the BTA said.
The Contribution to Local Self-Government award for municipal administration for 2025 was presented by NAMRB to a large, medium, and small municipality, based on population size.
The awards were given based on three criteria: advocacy for common interests in various formats at the national and interdepartmental levels or in the process of forming the association’s positions on regulatory documents, participation in NAMRB’s standing committees and initiative, and contribution to the implementation of innovative practices in the work of local administrations.
The network of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) enables comprehensive coverage of all Bulgarian municipalities on a wide range of topics – not only on its website, but also across nine social media platforms: Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Spotify, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the Annual Meeting of Local Authorities in the Albena resort (on the Black Sea) on Sunday. The event was organized by the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB).
In 2024, BTA published 24,487 news items from municipalities, prepared by the Agency’s correspondents – a 59% increase compared to 2023, Valchev said. For the first nine months of 2025, this figure has reached 34,225, which is 90% more compared to the same period last year, he added.
Additionally, in 2024, BTA published 10,136 announcements from Bulgarian municipalities – a 73% increase over 2023. For the first nine months of 2025, over 7,000 announcements were published – matching the number from the same period last year, Valchev noted.
Thus, in total, BTA had 35,623 municipal publications in 2024 – a 63% increase from 2023. For the first nine months of 2025, this number rose to 41,322, compared to 25,619 in the same period of the previous year, the BTA Director General stated.
Valchev emphasized that since last autumn, BTA began covering the plenary sessions of municipal councils in all 265 municipalities in Bulgaria. This coverage is now systematic and in-depth, presenting all decisions made by the councils.
He also gave further examples of BTA’s detailed and ongoing municipal coverage. These include reporting on activities related to the adoption of the euro, and on employment opportunities under the “I Choose Bulgaria” program.
Valchev also pointed to the coverage of news from Bulgarian wineries, which were presented this week in Plovdiv during the 9th UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism.
BTA also publishes materials about tourism opportunities. The agency has organized the “BG Tourism” forums seven times, focusing on specific national messages ahead of each summer and winter tourism season, as well as on health tourism in Bulgaria, Valchev noted.
BTA also covers festivals and celebrations across Bulgarian towns and villages. Later this month, a new issue of LIK magazine will focus on jazz festivals in Bulgaria, Valchev said.
Among the examples he highlighted was also the “BG Archaeology” section, dedicated to archaeological discoveries that show Bulgaria’s 14-century presence in Europe. Valchev noted this is the title of a new joint initiative by BTA, Bulgarian National Television, and Bulgarian National Radio to mark major anniversaries in Bulgarian history with broader European relevance.
BTA’s website also features articles from Bulgarian universities. The Agency has permanent partnership agreements with 50 out of 51 universities, with the last one expected to sign on November 5, Valchev said.
He also mentioned BTA’s “Bulgaria in 4 Seasons” project, which includes photos from all populated places across the country. In addition, the agency publishes videos from municipal events, which – alongside the text news – are freely available to all media outlets.
This week marked the 22nd anniversary of the opening of BTA’s first National Press Club, launched in Sofia on October 9, 2003. In total, BTA has opened 43 national press clubs, which also serve as regional correspondent offices for the national news agency of Bulgaria, the Director General said.
Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev commented on the proposed amendments to the Penal Code that would criminalize the dissemination of information about a person’s private life.
Speaking at the Annual Meeting of Local Authorities in the Albena resort (on the Black Sea) on Sunday, he stressed that “lies are fought with more truth – by supporting professional journalists and media with editorial standards, not through restrictions, including legal ones, because often the biggest offenders are anonymous or difficult to trace in the global information space, and cannot be punished.”