Ahead of the 4th summit of Heads of State and Government which will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, on 16 and 17 May 2023, as part of the Presidency of Iceland of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Velislava PETROVA, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, paid a visit to the European Youth Centre Strasbourg on 9 May 2023 where she was introduced to the work of the Council of Europe youth sector.

 During her visit, the Deputy Minister held an exchange with the Director of Democratic Participation, Matjaž GRUDEN. She attended the 14th Platform of European Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres as an honored guest, and subsequently met with representatives of Quality Labelled Youth Centres in Bulgaria.

 During her meetings she discussed the role and the importance of meaningful participation of young people and youth civil society for reinstating trust in political institutions, strengthening and shaping democratic and political processes, especially on matters that affect young people.Quality education, education for democracy as well as the importance of diversity of cultures, cultural heritage and the arts were stressed as essential elements for the development of a genuine openness of mind and basic rights, and for strengthening and preserving today’s democracies in Europe.