The president of the Bulgarian Football Union Borislav Mihaylov took part in today's official meeting between the sports ministers and representatives of the football federations of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia. The negotiations in Thessaloniki led to the official signing of a memorandum for a joint bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 and the UEFA EURO 2028. The minister of youth and sports Mr. Krasen Kralev, his Serbian counterpart Mr. Vanja Udovicic, the Greek deputy minister of sports Mr. Georgios Vassiliadis and the Romanian sports minister Mr. Constantin Matei signed the document which formally acknowledges the establishment of an organizing committee to work on the Balkans' bid.

During the meeting all involved parties discussed the major aspects connected to the preparation of the bid - and everyone agreed that around 70% of the run-up is connected with the sports infrastructure in all four countries. Apart from the political support declared by the state governments, the official start depends upon definite guarantees that no country will resign from the project once it begins, no matter the internal situation. "I believe that our society has strongly embraced the idea because of the fact that it gives us a chance to make history in the Balkan region and truly help the region's development", said Mr. Kralev and added that the key factor for the bid's success lies in the strategic planning and the realistic approach towards the challenge. "The signing of these official documents is the first step towards the realisation of our common dream", said Kralev. The Bulgarian sports minister proposed that the organizing committee should decide which major tournament to bid for by the end of 2019 - with the main reason being the vast difference in the infrastructural criteria between a World Cup and a European championship.

The delegation members who took part in the negotiation process on behalf of Bulgaria included also the BFU president Mr. Borislav Mihaylov, the BFU project coordinator Mr. Boris Stankov, the executive director of the National sports base Mr. Plamen Manolov and the head of the "European programs, projects and international collaborations" bureau at the Ministry of youth and sports Ms. Victoria Slavkova. "The partnership between our four countries has a fundamental value for the development of sports in the region and for our friendly relationship", said Mr. Mihaylov.

The president of the Romanian federation Mr. Razvan Burleanu presented a summary of great opportunities for Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Greece and underlined that football might just provide the proper path for the economic development of the region. The Greek football federation was represented by president Mr. Evangelos Grammenos, the Serbian participants were vice-president Mr. Marko Pantelic and general secretary Mr. Jovan Surbatovic. After the meeting all official delegation members organized a press conference for the media.

The meeting in Thessaloniki was the fourth of its kind in relation with the joint bid. The next one will be held in June in Bucharest with the main expected topic being which of the major tournaments should be the focus of the Balkan project.