Independence is a state of mind, a huge effort and a fight, and it is never given once and for all, according to the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, who spoke Saturday before the award winners of the National Student Competition.

The competition is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Bulgaria's Independence.

According to the PM, the celebration of Bulgaria's Independence has two goals - one to give our respect to our predecessors, to those who helped Bulgaria win its independence. The second goal is to give young people in Bulgaria the opportunity to make sense of this event, to reflect on our country's history and future.

"We live in some odd times today. For quite a while our goal was to join the European Union. We reached this goal. Here it is; we are part of this family. And it looks like that there is now a feeling for some big, super goal to motivate the entire nation. The big goal is now to turn Bulgaria in reality, not just formally, legally or politically, but in each and every way, into an advanced country, where citizens can realize their full potential, remain here and lead a dignified life, with the feeling of self-confidence," Stanishev stated before the young audience.

The PM further thanked the participants in the competition for their real contribution in the creation of this new Bulgarian self-confidence, adding that the current young generation was the first real European generation in Bulgaria.

The competition included multimedia projects, essays, poems and drawings all themed around Bulgaria's Independence and was organized by the Bulgarian Education Ministry, the municipality of Veliko Turnovo and the Regional Inspectorate in the city.

The competition's goal was to give Bulgaria's youth the opportunity to express their views of the historical event and its significance and to stimulate their creative thinking and expression.

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