Burgas Free University (BFU) is hosting the annual meeting of the Board of Rectors of the EUNICoast European University Alliance, taking place on September 17 and 18. As a co-founder and the sole representative from the Black Sea region, BFU is welcoming delegates from 13 higher education institutions across 8 sea and ocean basins, united in an alliance led by the University of Le Havre, France. The international event coincides with the celebration of BFU’s 35th anniversary; the university was established as one of the first three non-state higher education institutions in the country by a decision of the Grand National Assembly on September 18, 1991.

In honor of the anniversary, a celebratory conference titled "The New Idea in Education through European University Alliances – 35 Years Later" will open today at 9:30 a.m. at the BFU building. The forum, held under the patronage of the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Iotova, features a program focused on the future of higher education:

  • A retrospective of BFU, presented by the university's first graduates.
  • Presentation of the strategy of the EUNICoast European University Alliance.
  • Reports on the topic by the Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria and the President of the Economic and Social Council.
  • Analysis of Iceland’s experience as a country within the European Economic Area and the example of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA) — the first of its kind for Bulgaria, in which New Bulgarian University also participates.