The second of the four courses within the National Program for this year’s class was opened by Sergey Ignatov, Acting Minister of Education and Science until May 2026 and Minister of Education, Youth and Science during the period 2009–2013.
Following the official opening, a session was held on the long-term strategic priorities of local government until 2029 and the key challenges facing municipalities during the current and upcoming year. The lecture was delivered and discussed with the participants by Silviya Georgieva, Executive Director of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB). She focused on the legal framework of local self-government in Bulgaria, the administrative-territorial structure of the country, and the numerous responsibilities of mayors and municipal councils.
Through a video-based assignment, the trainees applied their newly acquired knowledge in practice. They assumed the roles of municipal councilors and proposed solutions to a problem related to stray animals within a specific municipality. Feedback on their work was provided by the Executive Director of NAMRB.
Kalin Kamenov, Mayor of Vratsa, Yordan Yordanov, Mayor of Dobrich, and Trifon Panchev, Mayor of Dryanovo, shared their extensive experience in implementing policies through municipal budgets. Prior to them, Zdravko Sechkov, Executive Director of the Foundation for Local Government Reform, presented the structure of the municipal budget and the process of its development. Following the theoretical part and the practical insights shared, the trainees were tasked with developing and adopting a balanced municipal budget within the framework of legal powers while taking into account political, administrative, and market constraints.
On the topic “Demographic Trends in the Regions and Possible Policies to Improve the Situation in the Country,” a lecture was delivered by demography expert Prof. Alexey Pamporov. Prof. Lyudmil Georgiev, member of the Board of Trustees of New Bulgarian University (NBU), gave a presentation dedicated to generational differences and public governance.
Philanthropy was also among the topics included in the second course for the Class of 2026. Iliyana Nikolova from the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation and Boryana Kirilova from the Bulgarian Donors Forum discussed the opportunities for philanthropy to become a driver of local development.
Argumentation, policymaking, and political debate also sparked significant interest and active discussions among the NP 2026 participants. Prof. Evelina Hristova and Miroslav Mavrov presented the core principles on the topic, after which the trainees took part in a simulation of a political debate by assuming different roles.
Among the key skills emphasized during the course was presentation skills. A lecture on the topic was delivered by Prof. Desislava Boshnakova, Head of the Department of Media and Communication at New Bulgarian University.
