VFU "CHERNORIZETS HRABER" INITIATES EUROPEAN GROUP FOR TERRITORIAL COOPERATION IN CIRCULAR ECONOMY
26 June 2023
Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" initiated the establishment of the European Group for Territorial Cooperation on Circular Economy in the Black Sea Basin. This initiative is part of the activities on the project Knowing the Circular Economy in the Black Sea Basin BSB-CIRCLECON - BSB. The idea was announced during the First International Exhibition of Circular Economy, Energy and Construction "Forward Green 2023" in early June in Thessaloniki. It was attended by leading politicians, scientists and business representatives from Bulgaria, Greece, Southeast, Central and Northern Europe, as well as Asia and America. The first international circular economy forum was opened by His Excellency Valentin Poryazov - Ambassador of Bulgaria to the Republic of Greece and George Kremlinis - Honorary Director of the European Commission and Patron of Bulgaria's first master's degree programme in Circular Economy, which is implemented at Varna Free University.
VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" was presented by Prof. Dr. Petar Hristov - Rector of the University and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eleonora Tankova - Dean of the Faculty of International Economics and Administration and head of the project, in which the University is a leading organization, in partnership with structures from Greece, Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine.
Representatives of public administration and local government agencies, organizations for collective business representation, universities and non-governmental organizations from countries of the Black Sea basin will take part in the first EU European Group for Territorial Cooperation on Circular Economy in the Black Sea Basin. The main objectives of the new cooperation group are related to the promotion and support of special provisions for implementing the circular economy model in the countries of the Black Sea basin, the adaptation of national, regional and local strategies in the Black Sea area to the EU action plan.
In her speech to the forum participants, Assoc. Prof. Eleonora Tankova discussed topics related to the shared value of protecting the Black Sea basin, the role of education and the place of female entrepreneurship in changing attitudes.
"Our society believes that the results of circular economy policies will be visible in the distant future, and today the costs for them are mostly visible. Although the damage we have caused as a result of mass industrial production and consumption maximization is caused mainly by our generation. Therefore, our main efforts should be directed towards both collective and individual actions", commented she. According to Assoc. Prof. Tankova, science and education can assist in building capacity and proactively develop knowledge that leads to the formation of key skills and needs for achieving the transition to a circular economy. The goal is to form the collective new behavior (circular behavior) and to turn it into a sustainable value.The participation of VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" in the European initiative will contribute to its positioning as a leading international educational and research center in circular economy. Varna Free University is a proven leader in circular economy education. In the university's academic profile, a full cycle of educational products on the issue is implemented - from courses for additional qualification, through a sustainably developing master's degree programme and its upgrade to an educational and scientific degree "doctor". Topics related to climate change and the green transition are represented in the bachelor's and master's programmes in Economics, Public Administration and Management, Business Administration and Management, Architecture, etc.
The Master's degree programme in Circular Economy at Varna Free University is the first of its kind in the European Union. It is held under the patronage of the Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission. "The training is at an exceptional level," emphasized George Kremlis, Honorary Director of the European Commission. Students from two classes of the programme presented real projects to realize the ambitions of the Green Deal for a digital and ecological economy. The campaign for the admission of the third class of students in the Master's degree programme in Circular Economy is active.
The University is the leading organization in the project "Knowledge of the Circular Economy in the Black Sea Basin BSB-CIRCLECON - BSB 1021", under which 90 experts from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine and Sweden were trained in circular economy issues, using the purpose-built platform for the first time. Within the framework of the project, analyzes and a regional survey were made on the state of the circular economy in the district, the country and the region.
The results of the project will be further developed in the next stage, which will be aimed at successful female entrepreneurship in the field of circular economy. The transition to a "circular household" is extremely important for changing the attitudes of society regarding the use of resources and socio-economic conditions. Women in the family are the ones most dependent on making households sustainable through inclusive circular practices. This also has an extremely strong influence on the formation of the new circular behavior among the youngest people - the children. VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" supports the development of startups in this direction with mentoring.
The university became the first higher education institution in Bulgaria to be certified under the international standard ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management, changing both the environment and the attitude, and meeting the highest sustainability standards based on scientific, educational, economic, environmental and social criteria.
