On 15 March 2017 in Hall 11 at Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, there was an open meeting aimed at acquainting the civilian and military students with the vision of Varna Municipality for 2017, the year when the city bears the title of European Youth Capital.
The meeting was attended by: the Mayor of Varna Municipality – Mr Ivan Portnih, Mr Mircho Hristov – CEO of the Association of Varna – European Youth Capital, Ms Elena Kenarova – head of the Department of Education at Varna Municipality. The event was opened with an address by the Deputy for Administration and Logistics of Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy – Navy Captain Svetoslav Dimitranov.
Some of the initiatives presented by Mr Ivan Portnih for the audience were the establishment of an International Black Sea Youth Centre, the project for a new building for the Regional Library, which is to become a symbol of the city, the establishment of sport facilities throughout the city, and the Innovation and Development Zone. The mayor pointed out that currently the main priority in the city was to turn it into an attractive all-year-round destination and into a City of Knowledge, where young people came not only to find education but also to build a career out of it. The popularisation of the city on a global scale was another priority for the municipality, to be hugely supported by the MTV concert in July this year, as well as by a list of more than 300 other forthcoming events and activities related to Varna – European Youth Capital. Mr Portnih added that the most intense work was on the axis of education-careers-income, which was evidenced by the record budget for the development of the education sector – BGN 104 m. A large portion of the funds would be invested for the repairs of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.
On their part, the Naval Academy civilian and military students expressed their tremendous gratitude for the opportunity to raise their own issues, related to the renovation of the sports facilities on campus, the parking spaces in the vicinity, the protection of the unique architectural monuments in Varna, and the development of cycling as a mode of transport in the city.
