Sofia will support Burgas with everything necessary, but the public has the right to know the criteria, assessments and experts who made the decision
The Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev called on the Bulgarian National Television to publish full information about the procedure by which Burgas was selected ahead of Sofia as the host of the “Eurovision 2027“ song contest – the assessment criteria, the results of the two cities according to them and the experts who participated in making the decision.
„We call on BNT and the team that selected the host for full transparency. I don't think it's some kind of national secret to say what the criteria were, where Burgas was better and who the experts were who participated in this commission. This is the most normal thing – to understand why and how this decision was made“, Terziev told journalists.
The mayor emphasized that the Sofia Municipality does not have the evaluations of Sofia's candidacy and has not seen Burgas' proposal, which is why it is not correct to speculate on the reasons for the final result.
„It is difficult to comment when we do not know how we were evaluated according to any of the criteria. We have no problem sharing our candidacy, but we do not have the right to do so. It is most appropriate that the questions why Sofia was not selected be addressed to the national organizer – BNT“, said Terziev.
He stated that Sofia has fulfilled the requirements and defined the capital as the most prepared Bulgarian city to host an event of such a scale. The candidacy of the Sofia Municipality is nearly 200 pages and includes the entire organization of the competition – from the hall, transport and accommodation to security, volunteers and the accompanying city program.
“This is not an attack on Burgas. And it is not an attempt to dispute its right to host. Transparency does not hinder success. On the contrary – it creates trust“, said Terziev. “Let's understand why and how. Then we will all accept the decision“
„The most important thing is how Bulgaria will present itself“.
Regardless of the questions surrounding the procedure, the mayor was adamant that Sofia would support Burgas and that hosting should be perceived as a national opportunity, not as a competition between the two cities.
“We can turn the next few months into another Bulgarian cauldron into hell, or we can do the opposite this time. The gift has given us an incredible chance for hundreds of millions of people to look to Bulgaria. This is already much bigger than a competition between two cities,” Terziev said.
“We are ready to help Burgas with experience, expertise, contacts and anything else we can be useful with so that the guests remain delighted with Bulgaria.”
He emphasized that Bulgaria should make the most of this opportunity and Eurovision should become a celebration not only for the host city.
“Sofia will be part of this celebration.”
For many people, Sofia will be a starting point to Burgas. For others - a final destination. And for the guests and for the people of Sofia, this should be a week in which the city lives with Eurovision - on squares, stages, in neighborhoods and public spaces.
Some of the ideas developed for Sofia's candidacy can be used precisely for this program, so that international guests passing through the capital, as well as the city's residents, can be part of the atmosphere of the contest.
The mayor compared the opportunity to hosting the Giro d'Italia and emphasized that the ultimate criterion for success should be the image that Bulgaria will leave behind.
„In years to come, people will not remember any administration. They will remember Bulgaria - what they associate it with, whether they have been here and whether it has become a part of their lives. This should be our common goal“, said Vasil Terziev.
„We will absolutely support Burgas with everything necessary. But let's understand why and how the choice was made. Full transparency is the most normal thing.