Varna municipality faces €2.2 million reimbursement risk over Black Sea Youth Center

The Varna Municipal Council rejected Mayor Blagomir Kocev's proposal to allocate additional funds for the remuneration of experts and youth workers at the Black Sea Youth Center. The request was tied to the completion of the "Construction and Operation of the Black Sea Youth Center" project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and aimed to preserve a training team that would keep the centre operating after the project ends.

If the sustainability requirements are not met, the municipality could be required to repay the grant of roughly €2.2 million provided gratuitously for the project. The centre, officially opened on 29 July 2026, serves young people aged 13‑29, including at‑risk students and unemployed youth, offering free informal education, volunteer opportunities, international exchanges, and training in leadership, entrepreneurship, financial, digital and civic literacy. In the year before its official opening, more than 1,700 youths participated in over 50 initiatives and more than 200 completed digital‑skills courses. During the council meeting, officials presented the need for the proposal, and National Youth Forum Chair Atanas Radev voiced support for the centre’s sustainability, but the motion failed to gain the required backing.