Fair and transparent elections, quality journalism, and reliable information were among the main topics on which the Bulgarian participants in the first session of the European Citizens’ Panel, dedicated to democratic resilience, reached common ground. Mihaela Koleva from Yambol, Gabriela Karadzhonova-Malcheva from Plovdiv, Stefan Rusev from Ivaylovgrad and Aleksandar Stoev from Stara Zagora represent Bulgaria at the forum.
On Saturday, September 19, the Bulgarian representatives took part in the work of the focus groups at the Albert Borschette Conference Centre in Brussels. Citizens from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and other countries participated in the groups, discussing various aspects of democratic resilience and sharing their views and personal experiences.
“My first impression was the incredible energy in the room,” said Mihaela Koleva. According to her, despite the language barriers and differences in the participants’ backgrounds, from small rural areas to major capitals, there was a strong sense of community.
“I was impressed by how quickly the formal boundaries disappeared when people sat around the same table to discuss their common future,” Koleva said.
During the group discussions, participants agreed that fair and transparent elections are an important part of democratic resilience. Among the key topics discussed was also the need for quality journalism based on facts and data rather than political biases and beliefs.
“That is why we came together around the idea of creating a seal for quality journalism in the EU,” Koleva said. She also noted the similar views expressed by the representatives of Bulgaria, Germany, and the Czech Republic regarding the future of the EU and the resilience of democracy.
For Gabriela Karadzhonova-Malcheva, an important part of the meeting was the opportunity for open dialogue among citizens from different countries.
“Everyone seemed extremely welcoming and open to communication. There was active listening and discussion. It was a real pleasure for me,” she said.
During the discussions, particular attention was paid to holding fair and transparent elections. The Bulgarian participants put forward a proposal concerning voting by people with dual citizenship, which was approved by 10 of the 12 votes.
Another important issue concerned the reliability of information and ways to prevent its manipulation. The participants discussed the idea of creating mechanisms to verify the accuracy of information before it is published, as well as establishing a European quality seal for journalism linked to the quality and reliability of the information provided.
“When I met the 150 participants from the 27 EU member states, I noticed that everyone was enthusiastic and very talkative,” said Stefan Rusev.
According to him, there were no major differences on the key issues in his group, which included representatives from Bulgaria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy.
“The topics on which we thought alike and were unanimous were voting rights and safer and more transparent elections. We also agreed that we need quality journalism, that the information reaching voters should be verified, and that it should carry a seal from independent media outlets in order to help prevent disinformation,” Rusev said.
According to him, following the debates, the participants’ views came even closer together, reaching almost unanimous positions on the main issues.
The first session of the European Citizens’ Panel concludes today with a summary of the views of 150 citizens from all 27 member states of the European Union (EU) on the topic of democratic resilience. Over the past two days, they discussed in Brussels how democracies in Europe can become more resilient and how citizens can participate more actively in public life.
Fair Elections and Quality Journalism Were Among Main Topics for Bulgarian Participants in EU Citizens’ Panel 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-20 13:26:18
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