At a conference in Sofia Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov has launched a series of European initiatives, which will be held in Bulgaria by the end of 2015, declared by the EU Council and the European Parliament as year of development and combating poverty. Bulgarian Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva took part in the conference through a video message, saying that half of the funding for developing countries came from the EU.

"Development policy" is now a term that means nothing for some, while for others it is something too difficult to happen. There are even people who say this is money spent in vain. The Diplomatic Institute of the Foreign Ministry has taken the role of a mediator between European policies and the civic organisations. Diplomats say that development policy is essentially an instrument of EU and Bulgarian foreign policy. It promotes the important value of solidarity. However, the Bulgarian society is not very keen on spreading common European values. According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, Bulgarian citizens are the ones who support the development policy in the EU the least. While last year a slight increase in approval was marked, it is not enough, diplomats say.

We have set a goal to try to change the negative attitude towards European aid to underdeveloped countries, says Tanya Mihaylova, Director of the Diplomatic Institute of the Foreign Ministry.

"Bulgaria used to receive such aid for many years and it is a normal thing to share this responsibility, now that we are part of the EU. The institutions and civic society in Bulgaria should make an effort to solve the problems here, but that does not mean we have to close eyes to what is happening in neighbouring or more distant countries. I believe that solidarity and the sense of empathy that are common EU values should be taught at school, so we are to focus more on the work with students. The Diplomatic Institute will set the framework, but the main partners are NGOs who already gave their ideas to build a national development plan. The Diplomatic Institute has also been committed to a specific project for many years. It aims at supporting capacity building and the diplomatic services of Afghanistan. We should point out that Afghani diplomats show great respect to our efforts and expect us to continue doing our work. Despite the difficulties in this country we must find the strength and help poorer countries, and this will have a positive effect on our credibility and confidence," says Tanya Mihaylova.

English: Alexander Markov