A project with the participation of the FJMC has been described as a "brilliant example of European cooperation" by Commissioner Elisa Ferreira

On 19 October 2024, on the occasion of the official launch of the COPE (Covering Cohesion Policy in Europe) project's publicly accessible online platform, Commissioner Elisa Ferreira described the work of the 27 Member States involved in the project as a " brilliant example of European cooperation". This came in a video address to participants at the annual Congress of European Journalism Students (FEJS). This year, the forum was hosted by the Erich Gross Institute for International Journalism at the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany.
At the same time, Ferreira stressed that the future of the European Union is linked to independent media, which through their critical reporting "shed light on every corner of the European home" and thus promote democracy in Europe. "An informed citizen is the best defender of democracy", Ferreira quoted former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "That is why your work is more important than ever," Ferreira addressed directly the 27 European Institutes of Journalism and the European Journalism Training Association (EJTA), which worked closely on the COPE project.

The COPE project is coordinated by TU Dortmund and involves universities offering journalism training from all EU Member States. Bulgaria is represented by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of Sofia University St. "Kliment Ohridski" Prof. Dr. Veselina Valkanova (Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication) and members Assoc. prof. Dr. Manuela Manliherova, Assist. prof. Dr. Maya Stoyanova and Dr. Tsvetelina Dzhambazova.
The aim of the project is to develop an online course, available in all languages of the Union, to raise awareness of journalists on EU policies in general and on the opportunities provided by cohesion funds in particular. The course is aimed not only at journalism students, but also at already practising journalists wishing to receive further training on Union issues.
The COPE online course is available in 27 versions reflecting the national specificities of each Member State. The project is funded by over €1 million from the EU budget. In the first half of 2024, more than 1500 journalism students from all over Europe successfully tested the platform. Among them were 30 students from the Journalism and Communication Management programmes of the FJMC.
More information about the project and the online course can be found here:

 
An e-book with the complete course content in English is also available.