Varna Mayor and Council of Europe Commissioner Discuss Elderly Care.

The growing need for quality care for older people and the provision of dignified living conditions in later life are creating increasingly serious challenges for social systems across Europe. This topic was the focus of a meeting between Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, held today at Varna Municipality. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Mayor for Social Activities Snezhana Apostolova, Director of the Education and Youth Activities Directorate Antoaneta Hineva, Director of the Social Activities Directorate Izabela Ivanova, and representatives of the Council of Europe delegation.

Michael O’Flaherty’s visit to Bulgaria is part of a broader mission to five European countries — Spain, Norway, France, Slovenia and Romania — aimed at studying conditions and social services for older people. At the beginning of the meeting, the commissioner shared his personal connection with Varna, which he first visited in 1988. He noted that even then he had been deeply impressed by the Sea Garden and expressed satisfaction that this emblematic space had been preserved over the years.

Mayor Blagomir Kotsev presented Varna as Bulgaria’s maritime capital — a city with rich cultural and historical heritage, strong tourism potential and an active social policy. He stressed that alongside the city’s development as a tourism and economic centre, the municipality also places a strong focus on social policies, especially regarding older people and vulnerable groups. The topic is extremely important both publicly and personally. Finding quality care for people with dementia is one of the most serious challenges today, while well-organised social services can significantly improve the quality of life of both older people and their families, Mayor Blagomir Kotsev emphasised.