One hundred and fifty citizens from all 27 European Union (EU) member states, including four Bulgarians, will discuss in Brussels their views on the current challenges facing democracies in the member states and opportunities to strengthen them. This will take place as part of the European Citizens’ Panel (ECP) on democratic resilience, Kristina Yordanova, director of HALO Foundation, told the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). The foundation is certified in Bulgaria to conduct the procedure for selecting citizens to participate in the forum.
The first of the panel’s three sessions begins on Friday and will continue until September 20. The panel is organized by the European Commission. Participants will also discuss ways to become more actively involved in public life and how to protect their right to access reliable information.
The Bulgarian participants come from Stara Zagora, Ivaylovgrad, Lyubimets, and Yambol.
Among them is Michaela Koleva, a 12th-grade student at the St. Kliment Ohridski Secondary School in Yambol. She described her participation in the forum to BTA as exciting, particularly because she is the chair of her school’s European Parliament Ambassador School Club.
“My interests have always focused on youth policies and on how we, as a society, can contribute to the development of our country in the context of the European Union. I will be glad to contribute my experience and exchange ideas with the other participants in the panel. I believe we need to be active, demand change, stand up for our positions and work towards a better tomorrow – in our city, in Bulgaria and in Europe,” Koleva said.
Gabriela Karadzhonova-Malcheva, who was born in Lyubimets but now lives and works in Plovdiv as a child psychologist and behavioural therapist, said she was looking forward to working on a topic she considers both interesting and challenging.
“My expectations are connected with working on a very interesting and challenging topic for me, on which I will strive to be as objective as possible – democratic resilience in Bulgaria and our aspiration to become a democratic society. I look forward to hearing different perspectives and broadening my own,” Karadzhonova-Malcheva told BTA.
During the first session, participants will learn about the key challenges facing democratic societies, as well as measures that have already been taken or are planned at European level. The programme includes plenary sessions, expert presentations and discussions in small groups.
Among the issues to be addressed are access to reliable information, information manipulation, technological change, public trust and civic participation.
Participants will be supported by experts and representatives of European institutions, civil society and academia, who will provide information and answer questions. Moderators will facilitate the group discussions and ensure that every participant has an opportunity to express their views.
The central role in the process, however, will belong to the citizens themselves and to the proposals they put forward.
The panel will continue with a second session online in October, followed by a third session in November. During the final stage, the working groups are expected to formulate specific proposals, which will be put to a vote and compiled into a document to be submitted to the European Commission and institutions.
According to information published by the European Commission, the panel is part of efforts to strengthen civic participation and the resilience of democratic societies. The Commission plans to follow up on the contributions and recommendations published by the panel, with information on the results expected next year.
The European Commission says that democratic resilience also includes citizens’ ability to participate fully in public life, form their opinions freely and have access to reliable information. The panel’s official website notes that the debate on democratic resilience is necessary because 45% of EU citizens do not believe that elections in their country are free from any form of interference. It also states that 52% of citizens say they have personally been exposed to disinformation or other forms of information manipulation at least once a week.
Earlier, three sessions of the European Citizens’ Panel on preparedness for crises were held in March, April and May. Four Bulgarians from Sofia, Burgas, Isperih and the village of Rebarkovo in Mezdra Municipality took part in the panel.
In Brussels, EU Citizens Will Discuss Challenges to Democracy and Ways to Strengthen It 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-18 06:55:00
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