Civil society in under attack – everywhere; and this is a part of our response!
Resilient Voices is a joint initiative by ProInfo and the Citizen Participation Forum (CPF), funded by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS), aimed at supporting key Bulgarian CSOs facing growing public hostility, disinformation, and institutional exclusion. Through targeted mentoring, crisis communication training, and simulated hearings, the initiative helps organisations adapt their public engagement and confidently defend their mission in an increasingly hostile environment.
At a time when divisive rhetoric and negative stereotypes dominate public discourse, fostering a shared, positive vision for Europe and Bulgaria’s place in it is more important than ever. #PositiveCitizensNarrativesForEurope ProInfo (realised in 2024) was an initiative that addressed this challenge by empowering citizens and organisations to craft narratives that inspire unity, engagement, and action.
The project “Impactful storytelling and digital marketing against disinformation (#YouImpact)” was carried out in 2023 and helped enhance the capacity of civil society organisations in Bulgaria to promote democratic citizen participation as a fundamental European value. The project helped equip them with the necessary skills to employ innovative digital marketing methods, create impactful video content, and conduct effective online campaigns. These efforts aim to counter anti-CSO and anti-democratic disinformation, fostering a more supportive environment for the work of civil society organisations.
This video is the first of a series produced by ProInfo for the DEEP Linking Youth project. Find out more about it – and what ProInfo is doing there at this link.
Ending the „limbo“in Europe: Initiative for improved implementation of the rights of the EU citizens residing in another country of the Union
On May 29, 2015 ProInfo carried out the first of a series of national debates focused on active citizen impact on EU policies. The debate focused on the role of civil society for improving the implementation of the basic EU right of freedom of movement while at the same time preventing the abuse of social funds by “social benefit tourism”. The participants in the debate discussed and adopted a policy initiative for improved implementation of the rights of the EU citizens residing in another country.
See the Debate Agenda, watch the International Panel of the Debate Relive here.
This video is in English and includes the debate contributions from Belgium, Spain, Albania and Austria.
Videos from the debate :
(all videos here in Bulgarian)
Petko Georgiev, Chairman of ProInfo: We want active citizen involvement, both in the “immigrant recipient” and the “immigrant donor” countries.
MEP Svetoslav Malinov: “Yes” to limiting social benefits tourism, “No” to compromises with fundamental rights and freedoms!
Vesselin Paunov, Bulgarian Journalists Living in the UK: The truth is that no matter how qualified they are, most Bulgarians are forced to take unqualified, low-paid jobs.
Borislav Bojidarov, Labour Migration Expert, Embassy of the Netherlands in Sofia: The Problems Lie in the Lack of Information and in the Cultural Differences.
MEP Angel Djambazki: Social migration should not be encouraged!
Ivan Todorov, The Amalipe Center for Inter-Ethnic Tolerance: You can’t be an EU citizen before being a Bulgarian citizen First.
MEP Eva Paunova: We’re working on faster recognition of education diplomas in the EU.
proinfobg.com 