/ world today news/ The European Parliament presented a diploma of honor to the young volunteers from Varna, who were chosen as European Citizens of the Year at a ceremony held on Wednesday evening in Brussels.
“Despite the crisis and the rise of Euroscepticism, European citizens continue to defend European values and ideals,” said the Vice-President of the Parliament, Sylvie Guillaume.
On behalf of the youth of Varna, the director of the Social Educational and Professional Center “Anastasia Dr. Zhelezkova” Plamen Petrov accepted the award.
The underprivileged youth were the smallest and one of the most active volunteers who took part in the cleaning of the Asparuhovo neighborhood of Varna, which suffered from the summer floods.
BSP MEP Momchil Nekov, who nominated the center’s graduates for the European Citizen Award of the European Parliament, said that although volunteering is on the rise in Bulgaria, it is far from the European average and needs additional support from the state to continue to develop.
That is why Momchil Nekov, who is one of the youngest members of the European Parliament, is preparing a draft law that will legally regulate all aspects of voluntary work. The project will be submitted to the National Assembly through deputies from “BSP Left Bulgaria”. The law will cover issues such as the insurance of the volunteer when carrying out the volunteer activity; reimbursement of his expenses; his accident insurance; training and qualification of volunteers; the respect of paid leave and work experience for the time of the volunteer activity; etc.
Momchil Nekov stated: “I am proud of the young volunteers from Varna and the good image they create for Bulgaria as Europeans of the year. Miroslav, one of them wrote to me that “One of the greatest secrets of life is that the only thing “What’s worth doing is what we do for others.” I believe in that.
47 citizens and organizations from all EU member states received the European Parliament’s 2014 Civil Behavior Award. Journalist Hristo Hristov is the other Bulgarian laureate.
- Photo: Momchil Nekov and the director of the center “Anastasia Dr. Zhelezkova” at the European Citizen Award ceremony in the European Parliament in Brussels.
#European #Parliament #awarded #volunteers #Varna
