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In the year in which the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria celebrates its 30th anniversary, we continue our special video series “First-Person Stories”. The people who contributed to the establishment and development of NAMRB recall the key moments, decisions and challenges encountered throughout the Association’s journey.

In the latest episode, we meet Dora Yankova, Chair of the NAMRB Management Board from 2007 to 2011, a member of the Association’s Management Board from 2003 to 2007 and Mayor of Smolyan Municipality from 2003 to 2011.

While serving as a Member of Parliament, she closely observed NAMRB’s first steps in its relations with the legislature and the Association’s efforts to ensure that every new responsibility assigned to municipalities was accompanied by the necessary financial resources.

As a mayor and subsequently as Chair of the NAMRB Management Board, Dora Yankova witnessed the Association’s emergence as an important participant in the dialogue between local and central government. She identifies its ability to unite mayors from different political parties around the shared challenges of local self-government as one of its greatest strengths.

In the interview, Dora Yankova also highlights NAMRB’s participation in the legislative and budgetary processes. As an important outcome of years of consistent work, she points to the established practice of accompanying the draft state budget with an official record of the consultations held with the Association.

She also addresses a special message to locally elected representatives: to remain close to the people and understand the real problems facing their communities. In her words, it is the “pulse of relationships with the people” that provides the foundation for sound decisions and genuine leadership at the local level.

“I wish the Association to continue safeguarding the dignity of municipalities, to remain united, to support one another and to continue being the strong voice of Bulgarian municipalities, because that is the voice of Bulgaria as a whole.”

This message also summarises the role that NAMRB has developed over the past three decades: bringing local authorities together, protecting municipal interests and defending the right of municipalities to participate in decisions concerning the country’s development.

Watch the episode featuring Dora Yankova:

YouTube video