On 27 May 2026, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Desislava Kalcheva delivered a public lecture at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration on the topic “Fiscal Decentralisation of Municipalities in Bulgaria – Opportunities for Restarting the Process”. The event was attended by representatives of the academic community, including from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, the University of National and World Economy – Sofia, South-West University “Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad, and Burgas Free University. Participants also included mayors and deputy mayors of the municipalities of Burgas, Pomorie, Samokov, Chavdar and Chelopech, members of parliament, as well as representatives of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Fiscal Council of Bulgaria and the National Statistical Institute.

During the lecture, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kalcheva presented key aspects related to the fiscal decentralisation of municipalities. Special attention was given to the indicators used to assess the process and the observed trends towards centralisation, to the results of a survey questionnaire examining the attitudes of Bulgarian municipalities regarding the tax policy being implemented, as well as to specific opportunities and proposals for increasing local tax revenues.

The lecturer discussed the current challenges in the field of local finance in Bulgaria, placing emphasis on the practical aspects of tax policy and on applicable examples from international experience. In this context, methods for updating the tax assessments of immovable property in Denmark and Ireland were presented. The mechanism for sharing tax revenues applied in the Czech Republic was also presented.

Following the lecture, a discussion was held, during which participants raised questions and shared opinions on the topics addressed. Representatives of the municipalities of Pomorie and Burgas contributed with specific proposals related to the practical aspects of local tax policy. The discussion contributed to a deeper understanding of the topic and outlined opportunities for future academic and practical debates.

The public lecture also contributed to strengthening the link between academic knowledge, research activity and the practical dimensions of local finance. The lecturer expresses her gratitude to all participants for their interest and active participation in the discussion.