Several days before the official start of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union the National Palace of Culture in Sofia hosted another European event and children took center stage at the MegaDojo Sofia 1.0 initiative which is held under the auspices of the Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Digital National Coalition and the Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel.

This is the first event of the official calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Over 300 children from different Bulgarian regions aged between 7 and 13 took part at the event. Some of them have experience in programming and others made their first steps in the boundless digital world. Eighteen workshops were available to the studious kids. The kids learned that Internet is both a source of entertainment and various dangers and they have to learn how to protect themselves. The easiest protection is linked with two simple rules- frequent change of password and keeping personal data away from the digital space. Introduction of parental control and blocked access to some Internet sites are also good measures to protect young users.

Cyber security will build confidence in the new digital environment and we should know how to use and apply it, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel pointed out in her speech. In hew view the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be successful due to the young people as well. Bulgaria’s Deputy Premier and Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union Lilyana Pavlova pointed out that children are the future of Europe and the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU has had a wonderful start thanks to their help. This event is extremely useful and shows that the policies related to youth and science have yielded real results. Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Education and Science Denitsa Sacheva also accentuated on the participation of the young people in the decision-making process in the EU:

“Politics is connected with a vision for the future and future is in the hands of our children. One of the main priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union is linked with the digital transformation of the economy and this is inevitable if children are taught at an early age to work with the digital technologies and have digital literacy. That is why each children-orientated event connected with digital skills is of great importance, because it shows us what to expect in the future and teaches us how we can become more successful and happy. Getting children involved in politics is a widely-discussed topic. Many talented Bulgarian children were invited to participate at the events linked with the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science. They are to present various projects within the frameworks of different events, including the conference named Educate and Create. It will be held on April 19 and 20. The Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science will participate in a total of 25 events during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the events start in February.”

The calendar of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the coming six month contains a wide range of political and cultural events. Many formal and informal meetings cover a wide range of topics and require extremely good preparation. That is why it is very important for this country to be an arbitrator during the decision making process in the EU, but also to manage to fulfill its priorities during the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov