Baku, August 15, AZERTAC

Parliament adopted unanimously and without debate the Bulgarian News Agency's (BTA) annual report for 2023, according to the agency. A total of 127 MPs voted in favour. Of these, 48 MPs are from GERB-UDF, 22 from Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, 35 from Vazrazhdane, two from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, four from BSP for Bulgaria, 14 from There Is Such a People and two independent MPs.

On 1 August, the Parliamentary Culture and Media Committee adopted the BTA report, which was presented by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev.

The reports on the Agency's activities were submitted as required by Article 16 of the Bulgarian News Agency Act. They contain information about the Agency's activities, the role of the media market, international contacts, the financial situation, the functioning of the National Press Club and the network of BTA regional press clubs, notes the Parliamentary Culture and Media Committee's report.

By law, BTA is the only official source of information from Bulgaria and the world for state institutions. The Agency provides them with a package of information services free of charge, the Parliamentary Committee noted.

During the reporting period, the use of information from BTA has increased tramendously, the Culture and Media Committee report states. The media outlet also saw a threefold increase in social media followers. In order to ensure freedom from dependencies, BTA does not publish paid announcements and has no advertising on its website or in national press clubs, allowing advertising and sponsorship only in print publications and at events it organizes. BTA accepts additional funding only from organizations of which Bulgaria is a member, such as the European Union, NATO, the UN, UNESCO, etc. In 2023. BTA has created eight new ad hoc thematic columns, which the Agency is continuously updating. BTA's goal is to be a bridge between all Bulgarians around the world. The Agency continues to participate in various formats, including the National Assembly, in the search for ways to support Bulgarian media abroad through its expertise.

"In 2021, when the National Assembly elected me in January, I presented a programme that I developed into a strategic plan called 'The Future of BTA' within the first year of my term in office, aiming at five strategic goals. Therefore, in the plan itself, the programme, and the annual reports, I present the specific steps taken to pursue these five goals," Valchev said last week while presenting BTA's report in front of the Parliamentary Culture and Media Committee.