In a few days, construction and renovation activities for the construction of the International Youth Center - Ruse will begin. It will be housed in the building of the former Teacher's Home, located at 29 Aleksandrovska Street. This became clear at the press conference held today in the building of the Ruse Municipality.

The youth center will be built under project No. BG-RRP-1.008-0008 "Construction of the International Youth Center - Ruse", financed by the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The total amount of the grant that the Ruse Municipality will receive for the implementation of the project is 4,277,438 BGN, and the co-financing is 300,000 BGN. The deadline for the implementation of the activities is 30.06.2026.

The contractor for the construction and repair activities is the Ruse-based company “ROAN-90”, selected after a public procurement procedure. The project envisages a major overhaul, as well as internal renovation and reconstruction of the building. It will also be adapted for use by people with physical disabilities. There will be separate rooms for training and art classes, multifunctional halls, as well as a large hall for events with a capacity of 100 people. The center will also have rooms for accommodating 16 young people. The yard will also be landscaped.

A team of specialists will be appointed to the center - mediators, youth workers, psychologists, social workers and/or educators, who will work with young people to include them in the center’s activities, recognizing it as an attractive place for meetings, development and training. The specialists will also carry out fieldwork - in schools and neighborhoods.

The Youth Center will offer a variety of activities and services to support the personal development of young people up to 29 years of age, including those from vulnerable groups. Activities include job search assistance, non-formal education, training for acquiring digital competencies and other key skills, measures for the reintegration/integration of young people who have dropped out of the education system, activities to stimulate various initiatives, etc.

The folklore ensemble "Ruschukliyche" at the Municipal Children's Center for Culture and Art also entered the "TOP 10 Bulgarian Dance Folklore" 2025 competition this year. The category in which the Ruse talents participated was "Amateur Dance Groups and Ensembles" - age over 16.
"Ruschukliyche" competed with 8 other very good ensembles in Razgrad. In an extremely competitive competition, the talented dancers, led by the artistic director of the ensemble Neli Garvalova and assistant choreographer Angel Ivanov, supported by the orchestra led by Vladimir Minchev, presented the dances "Breath of Wallachia" and "Shopska Pletenitsa", whose choreography is by Neli Garvalova. After the captivating performances of the Ruse residents, a professional jury decided that the ensemble should compete for first place.
A total of 10 groups from the semi-finals in Razgrad and Sofia will compete on June 22 - Bulgarian Folklore Day, at the Summer Theater in Varna.
Before the important performance, the Ruschukliyche will have an emotional journey ahead of them, commissioned by the World Folklore Organization CIOFF in Bulgaria. In early May, the Ruschukliyche FA will represent Ruse and Bulgaria at an international folklore festival in South Korea.

The Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry turned 135. It was established on April 15, 1890 in Ruse and is the first Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria. On the occasion of the anniversary, the economic forum "Business Horizons 2025" was held today at the Regional Library "L. Karavelov". The participants discussed the topics of Schengen and new trade opportunities for business; the Eurozone and how to prepare for the upcoming financial environment; global challenges and opportunities for Bulgarian and Ruse businesses.

Mayor Pencho Milkov was among the panelists who had to answer questions from representatives of institutions, businesses and economic circles about the opportunities facing the economy of the region and Bulgaria in the context of the modern global and European environment. The guest of the event was also the Deputy Mayor for "International Programs and Projects, Investments and Property" Zlatomira Stefanova.

The panel also included Tsvetan Simeonov - Chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Lyubomir Datsov - financial expert, former Deputy Minister of Finance and current member of the Fiscal Council of Bulgaria, as well as Yulian Balchev - Secretary General of the Bulgarian Investment Agency.

"The Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an organization with which the Municipality of Ruse works almost daily, and from which we learned many good practices. It has become an important factor in building bridges between business, state and local institutions and society. Therefore, with great respect, I thank the team and specialists in the chamber for everything they do for the development of business in Ruse," said the mayor. He emphasized that the local administration is constantly proposing various projects to the ministries, with which it has managed to draw the state's attention to Ruse. Milkov expressed hope that private entities will soon also start building public buildings, as entrepreneurs in our country have done in past centuries. In connection with the global changes in international relations, he emphasized that he is for the free movement of goods and capital, but puts the well-being of people first.

Lyubomir Datsov stated that in his opinion the number of tourists in Ruse will increase by 20% after our entry into the Eurozone.

Julian Balchev expressed his extremely good impression of the architecture of Ruse and the Easter decoration of the city. He commented that Schengen opened another door for business in Ruse. Balchev recalled that the Bulgarian Investment Agency since 2004 has had 14 certified projects in the Ruse region for over 400 million leva, which have opened over 3,000 jobs. In the last 5 years alone, there have been 7 certificates for 94 million leva and over 700 new jobs. He thanked the local administration for creating favorable conditions for business development.

Small business representatives called for decentralization in the state, which would help companies outside the capital. Company owners insisted on more connectivity between education and business, in order to have prepared personnel who are trained to work with modern technologies.

A charity tournament in adapted swimming in Gabrovo, organized by the Equal Start Sports Club, brought together participants from 10 cities in Bulgaria, including the “goldfish” of the Alexander Rusev Foundation. The event was attended by swimmers from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik, Sliven and Blagoevgrad.
The competition is being held for the second consecutive year and is enjoying great success among the community of swimmers with specific needs and requirements. Dozens of people are behind the cause of the organizers from the Equal Start Sports Club – Gabrovo to raise funds for the construction of a sports rehabilitation center in one of the schools in the city.
The Ruse team returned with a total of 21 awards – 15 bronze, 4 silver and 2 gold medals.
The chairman and founder of the Alexander Rusev Foundation, Iliyan Rusev-Skuri, expresses his gratitude to Georgi Levicharov from the Gabrovo Sports Club for the good organization and the opportunity to participate, as well as to everyone who joined the pool and supported the children and youth for 5 hours. The Ruse swimmers also thank the coach Ivelin Ivanov from the Student Sports School, who once again was by the children’s side and took on the role of their mentor and friend, as well as Alex Vassilev, who was happy to accompany the children to such an important competition for them. Berna Velinova, who helps Iliyan Rusev-Skuri in the afternoons during the last months at the municipal pool in the yard of the Sports School in Ruse, also received admiration. The day of the swimming tournament coincided with the celebration of the heavenly birthday of Alexander Rusev, whose name the foundation also bears. This was the reason why Iliyan Rusev was not physically with his graduates, but mentally he supported each participant, as he always has done for the last 11 years.
The Alexander Rusev Foundation once again appeals to the public for support in the construction of a water rehabilitation center for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities. The need for such a facility is growing, and the scale of the organized swimming events is proof of this.

Those wishing to donate funds can do so to the following bank accounts:

Bank account of the Alexander Rusev Foundation:
BIC: BPBIBGSF
IBAN: BG 06 BPBI 7921 1045 5933 01 – leva
IBAN: BG 85 BPBI 7921 1445 5933 01 – euro

The Mayor of the Municipality of Ruse, Pencho Milkov, held a working meeting with the Minister of the Interior, Daniel Mitov, during which specific measures and good practices for increasing security and preserving public order in the city were discussed.

Milkov presented to the Minister the activities of the municipality aimed at building a sustainable and reliable public protection system. A network of over 1,400 video surveillance cameras operates on the territory of the municipality, through which prevention, control and investigation of vandalism and criminal acts are carried out. The system is monitored in real time, and if necessary, the recordings are provided to the law enforcement agencies, Milkov said. He stated that there is also excellent interaction between the municipality and the regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior.

The Mayor emphasized the activities of the established "Municipal Police" unit, which carries out joint patrols with the Inspectorate of Public Order and Security (IOPS). Milkov also informed the Minister about the activities of the volunteer formations of the municipality, which assist institutions in crisis situations, including the Fire Department.

Among the good examples of institutional cooperation, the free provision of parts of a municipal building on Kotovsk Street for the needs of the Ruse regional center of the national emergency call system 112 was also mentioned. The municipality also provides free use of two buildings by the Border Police in the Industrial Park area.

Minister Mitov highly appreciated the good interaction between the Ruse Municipality, the Regional Administration, the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor's Office and all institutions involved in ensuring order and security. According to him, it is through consistent coordination and joint efforts that lasting results can be achieved in the interest of citizens.

During the talks, the current organization of traffic in the Danube Bridge area was also discussed in connection with the ongoing repairs. It was noted that at the moment there is no need for additional resources from the Traffic Police or municipal employees to regulate traffic.

Minister Mitov expressed readiness for more active cooperation with the local authorities and emphasized that the Ministry of Interior will continue to support the efforts of the Municipality of Ruse in implementing policies for crime prevention and maintaining public order in the interest of all Ruse residents.