The Mayor of Ruse Pencho Milkov attended today the inspection of the Danube Bridge crossing by the acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Violeta Koritarova.

Key issues related to the border control and infrastructure of the region after the eventual admission of Bulgaria into the Schengen area, as well as the accompanying measures to ease traffic were discussed.

Prime Minister Glavchev announced that a headquarters will be formed to coordinate the smooth transition to the new border control regime.  It will also include the mayors of Ruse and Vidin, which is important to protect the interests of local communities.

„I will not stop demanding that part of the revenue from the Danube Bridge tolls remain in the municipality. The municipality of Ruse should administer part of the collection of these tolls as compensation for the destruction of infrastructure, pollution and other negative effects of heavy traffic," Mayor Pencho Milkov said.

The Directors of General and  Regional Directorates of the Border Police presented a plan for the reorganization of border control. According to the Prime Minister, even after joining Schengen, selective control will remain under the "risk rules", which will speed up the crossing time.

During the visit, the progress of the repair of the Danube Bridge was inspected. The builders assured that the first section will be completed by Christmas.

Dimitar Glavchev explained that upon our accession to Schengen, there will be a significant easing of crossing both the Bulgarian-Romanian and the Bulgarian-Greek borders, although some forms of control will remain.

The meeting emphasized the importance of cooperation between local and national authorities for the implementation of important infrastructure projects and strategic goals such as Bulgaria's membership in Schengen. Mayor Pencho Milkov expressed his readiness to actively participate in the newly formed headquarters to protect the interests of the residents of Ruse.

The traditional "STREET ART Plener" once again pleasantly surprised the inhabitants of Ruse with masterfully painted panels placed at three bus stops in the city. The locations were selected by the organizers of the initiative - the Municipal Foundation "Ruse - City of Free Spirit" so as to correspond with the idea of the artist. The aim of the art project is the images and quotes of famous personalities to motivate and charge the inhabitants of Ruse, and the visitors of the city.

The updated views of the stops are located at str. 33 Borisova in front of the building of the Old Music High School, on str. Riga to Hospital "Medica" (stop "Crane North") and in front of the church "All Saints' (stop "Hospital"/).

At a "Hospital" stop, the image of the white dove of hope is accompanied by the words of basketball legend Michael Jordan, "Some people want it to happen, others pray it to happen, and others make it happen." A quote from former Nike CEO Phil Knight, "For those who can't hear the music, the dancers look crazy" accompanies the ballerina painted against the background of the Ruse State Opera building. This is the thematic decoration of the stop in front of the Old Music High School of Ruse. The third inspirational quote "Be a small drop of love in the ocean of someone else's pain" is by the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi. It is inscribed at the stop on Str. "Riga" next to Hospital "Medica" to remind people of the importance of showing kindness, mercy and humanity.

The three art panels are the work of Ruse artist Ilian Iliev, who graduated in Spatial Design at the VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar”. He is a freelance artist and also deals with airbrushing, body art and engraving. In 2024, Iliev won the Audience Award in the National Competition “The Charm of Ruse Architecture and the Art of Automotive Engineers”.

Picture: Nova News

According to the Mayor of Ruse, the imposition of 6-month border control on the Danube Bridge after Bulgaria's admission to the Schengen zone will continue to hinder traffic in the city

"I accept with extreme disappointment the news that the border control of the Danube Bridge checkpoint will continue for at least 6 months after the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen," he said. This was stated to Nova news by the Mayor of Ruse Pencho Milkov. He commented on the case from Vietnam, where he participated in the official Bulgarian delegation led by President Rumen Radev.

"For me it is clear that this condition is not set by the Bulgarian ministers and institutions, but is a condition that is imposed on us," he said. This is a double standard that will again cause difficulties for the people of Ruse. For me it is important to hear from the Bulgarian institutions what we impose on the countries that impose conditions on us. Goods going to Europe pass through Ruse, and the continuation of border controls will continue to hinder traffic near and inside the city. Ruse and other cities along our northern border become a parking lot for thousands of heavy trucks, and in the summer months cars with foreign registrations do not respect the traffic rules, block the streets and bring society to the extreme limit of tolerance,” Milkov said.

According to him, we must appreciate the efforts of the governments and all Bulgarian institutions for the entry of our country into Schengen. He described the information about our admission as another step in the right direction, but unfortunately not the last, as long as the border controls are applied. We are looking forward to really finally entering Schengen, and the traffic at Ruse and other border cities will cease to be such a problem for our societies. It must be clearly understood that patience has its limits. We must also talk about the dignity of a country," Milkov said.

According to him, the measures exercised by our country at the Danube Bridge crossing are very serious and our partners must and our partners should be reassured that they are actually reducing unregulated activities at the border. He reiterated that the removal of administrative obstacles and the opening of traffic will have a very favorable impact on the development of Ruse and all the cities along our northern border.

A memorandum of friendship was signed between Ruse and the large Vietnamese city of Kang Thu

At the invitation of President Rumen Radev, Ruse Mayor Pencho Milkov participated in the official Bulgarian delegation, which is visiting Singapore and Vietnam.  It was also attended by the Ministers of Education - Prof. Galin Tsokov, Innovation and Growth - Prof. Rosen Karadimov, and Tourism - Evtim Miloshev, Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev and over 40 Bulgarian owners and managers of companies.

In Singapore, the delegation took part in a business forum organized by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, the country's largest national organization that represents some 5,000 corporate members, including small and medium-sized enterprises and multinational companies. It visited the innovation center of Hyundai Motor Group and inspected the production line for electric vehicles.

The delegation met with Bulgarians living in Singapore, and Mayor Pencho Milkov had the opportunity to talk with  families who have resettled in the Asian country from Ruse.  With them, he discussed the development of the city in recent years, the efforts made by the administration to make Ruse a preferred place to live, and opportunities for more intensive relations with our region.

After Singapore, the official delegation also visited Vietnam.  In the capital Hanoi the delegates met with representatives of the community of Vietnamese citizens who studied and worked in Bulgaria and representatives of the Association for Friendship "Vietnam-Bulgaria." An official meeting of President Rumen Radev and the President of Vietnam Leong Kwon was held, a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Min Chin and Speaker of the National Assembly Chan Thanh Man. Bilateral cooperation documents were signed. A Memorandum on the development of friendly and cooperative relations between the Municipality of Ruse and the fourth largest city in Vietnam - Ken Thu was also signed. The document was signed by Mayor Pencho Milkov and the Chairman of the People's Assembly of Kang Thu, Chan Viet Chung. The city is the most significant center in the delta of the Mekong. Its population is more than 1.3 million people.

"For me as mayor it was extremely important to get concrete practical knowledge about the organization of processes in cities from the East. There, communities of hundreds of thousands and even millions of people live together, with a sense of community, and in the cities it is clean and the residents feel safe. This is achieved within the framework of a human life. It is important to create an easy and quick opportunity for direct communication of Ruses, our business and non-profit organizations with these societies," Pencho Milkov said. "My desire is to create in the coming years an intensive cultural, scientific and business exchange of organizations from the region of Ruse and the city of Kang Thi. By talking to representatives of societies that have made significant progress in a short time, I hope to learn valuable experience that will help us accelerate the development of our region”, said the mayor of Ruse.

Today on the square. "Svoboda" was opened an exhibition with the awarded photographs of the winners of the National Photo Contest "We Love Ruse". 76 photographs of 49 authors are presented, exhibited on panels next to the fountain in front of the building of the Municipality of Ruse. The National Photo Contest is organized for the fifth year by the Municipal Foundation "Ruse - City of the Free Spirit" and with the financial support of "Holleman Bulgaria" and "Tiva Plus". Everything good that is happening in Ruse inspired professionals, amateurs, children and young people to participate in the competition, who sent a total of 422 photos. Members of the jury were Galya Valacheva - representative of "Tiva Plus", Mladen Ganchev - manager of "Holleman Bulgaria", and Desislava Peeva - member of the Board of the Municipal Foundation "Ruse - City of the Free Spirit".

   The Director of the Education, Culture and Religious Affairs Directorate Tsvetoslav Dimitrov congratulated the participants on behalf of Mayor Pencho Milkov for the masterful way in which they managed to capture the beauty of Ruse.

In the "Aerial Photography" section with the photo "Television Blur", Milcho Yovchev was ranked first. In the "Events and Captured Moments" section, the first place was grabbed by Ivo Botev with an attractive photo from "Green Rock Fest Ruse" 2024. Anna Anastasova is the winner in the "Landscapes" section, "Professionals" category, with the photography "Rousse Sunset in the Sunflower Fields", and in the "Amateurs" category, the award went to Angel Angelov's photo - "Pigeons Looking for Coolness". In the "Landscapes" section, category "Children", the first prize was awarded to 15-year-old Denislava Georgieva from Varna with her photo "The Square in front of the Library". In the "Business of Ruse" section, category "Professionals", the grand prize was awarded to Denitsa Dimitrova and her photography "Harvest", and in the "Amateurs" the first was the photograph of Galina Mihaylova "Sparks in SL Industries Ruse". Vanyo Dimitrov received the first place in the category "Black and White Photography" with the touching photo "Generations". After a contested vote on the Facebook page of the municipal foundation, the audience award was received by Elitsa Todorova with the photo "View from the TV Tower", and the jury award was deservedly awarded to Yavor Michev.

The awarded photographers received cash prizes according to the regulations of the competition, and the ceremony was accompanied by the presentation of the exhibition in the open, which includes not only the awarded photographs, but also other beautiful images of Ruse, sent for participation in the competition. The exposition will delight the citizens of Ruse and the guests of the city in the coming weeks.

All photographs can be found on the Facebook page of the Municipal Foundation "Ruse – City of the Free Spirit" https://www.facebook.com/rusefreespiritcityfondacion/photos_albums.