At the suggestion of Mayor Vasil Terziev, the B40 cities in the accession phase of EU membership will partner with cities from the Eurocities network, which will support their preparation.

Sofia will host the most prestigious local government forum in the Balkans – the annual forum of mayors from the B40 network. The forum will be held from 23 to 25 February 2025. The event will be the fourth edition of the initiative, which has so far been organized in Istanbul, Athens and Tirana. The theme of the meeting in Sofia is “The Future of the Balkans: Innovation and Growth”.

B40 Balkan Cities Network was established at the end of 2021 at the suggestion of the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu and unites over 70 cities from the region. The main mission of B40 is to promote democracy and cooperation between cities in the Balkans, with the aim of sharing experience and bringing them closer together as a basis for stability in the Balkans and Europe.

In 2024, the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev was elected as a member of the Executive Board of the largest network of European cities Eurocities and is the Commissioner for Enlargement of the European Union. At the initiative of Terziev, during this year’s edition of the B40 forum, a partnership between B40 and Eurocities will be launched, the real application of which will be the creation of in-depth partnerships between cities in the pre-accession phase for EU accession with cities from EU member states, which will support their preparation.

“In the last year, Sofia has placed a decisive focus on the development of city diplomacy. It is a great honour for me that the governing bodies of B40 have chosen Sofia to host this year’s Balkan Mayors’ Forum. This is an assessment of our city’s development in the democratic process in Europe and puts Sofia on the map of important events and conversations in Europe, right where it belongs,” said Terziev.

“We are excited that Sofia will host the B40 event in 2025. The city’s remarkable progress and dynamic development make it the ideal location for such an important gathering. I am confident that Mayor Terziev and his team will do an exceptional job in organizing this significant event, demonstrating Sofia’s ability to lead and inspire on the global stage,” commented Barbaros Büksagnak, Head of International Relations of Istanbul, member of the B40 Permanent Secretariat.

“We welcome the opportunity to work closely with B40, especially as Sofia takes on the role of host in 2025. This cooperation reflects the shared vision of promoting innovation, sustainability and inclusion in European cities. With Sofia’s proactive leadership and commitment to bringing cities closer together and focusing on enlargement, I am confident that this partnership will pave the way for impactful results for cities in the region”, commented Andre Sobchak, Secretary General of Eurocities.

The B40 organization emphasizes the role of local government for sustainable and positive change, focusing its efforts on partnerships in areas such as economy, addressing global challenges such as climate change, green policies and digital transformation, education and culture.

Priority topics of B40 also include other topical issues.

The annual B40 meeting in Sofia will provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation between Balkan cities aimed at developing effective local solutions in the field of addressing climate change challenges. The event is expected to attract a wide range of participants, including representatives of local government and the non-governmental sector, and to reinforce Sofia’s key role in Balkan and European politics.

In 2025 Sofia will also take the lead role of 4 working groups with representatives of the Balkan cities: Local Economy & Cultural Cooperation, Smart Cities & Digital Transformation, Local Democracy & Migration and Regional Climate Action.

This year, Sofia will also host a youth forum that will bring together young people from all Balkan countries.