Balgarianovinite.com International Youth Day was marked in Bulgaria on Wednesday with messages from state officials, new employment data and a series of activities for young people.
Labour and Social Policy Minister Natalia Efremova congratulated young Bulgarians in a video address, acknowledging that the first step into the labour market remains difficult. She urged them to explore opportunities offered by the government, including paid internships, free training and subsidized employment. Under the EU-backed Youth Employment+ Project, 3,128 jobs for people aged up to 29 have already been created since applications opened in February, while more than 2,500 employer contracts worth over EUR 18 million have been signed. The project, with a total budget exceeding EUR 61 million, is expected to support at least 8,520 young people.
National Statistical Institute data for 2025 show that Bulgaria has 897,968 people aged 15-29, representing 14% of the population, but only 34.3% are employed. Meanwhile, 98.2% of those aged 16-24 use the internet daily or at least once a week.
President Iliana Iotova called for young people to have both the freedom to choose their path and the confidence that society listens to and supports them. She warned against social media replacing human interaction, radicalization through filter bubbles, hatred and growing alienation, and stressed the importance of cooperation among families, schools and institutions in shaping youth policies.
International Youth Day was also celebrated with events at Harmanite Beach in Sozopol, attended by Youth and Sports Minister Encho Keryazov, Efremova, Mayor Tihomir Yanakiev and other officials. Keryazov stressed that youth policy cannot be the responsibility of a single institution and must involve young people themselves. Efremova echoed the message, saying that “nothing about young people” should be done without young people. The event featured sports and youth activities, meetings with Olympic medallists Yordan Yovchev and Ivet Goranova, and competitions for participants from youth centres across the country. International Youth Day Highlights Employment Opportunities and the Role of Young People in Bulgaria 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-12 17:52:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law