Veliko Turnovo has several claims to fame: a former Bulgarian capital, the magnificent son et lumiere show at Tsaravets and the fact that its university is the second largest in Bulgaria.

With the recent celebration of the brothers Kiril and Methodious, the patrons of the university, it is only fitting that there is exciting news from their faculty of modern languages. Many institutions can easily stagnate, content with former glory. Not so with University of Veliko Turnovo. The university is clearly moving with the times and has entered into a mutually beneficial partnership with the Directorate General for Interpretation (DGI), Brussels and the European Parliament.

The DGI provides funding for a variety of projects and new initiatives within the university. One of the most interesting of these projects is the university's master's programme in conference interpretation. The aim of this programme is to produce graduates of sufficient quality to sit at the Bulgarian booths at all EU-related conferences. Obviously this is of benefit to both Bulgaria and Brussels.

Ludmilla Kostova, vice dean of the faculty of modern languages and principal coordinator of the programme stated: "Our MA programme in conference interpretation is indeed one of our strong points. It should be borne in mind, however, that the University of Veliko Turnovo has had a long tradition of teaching languages over the last 30 years".

Does Kostova see any other benefits in the symbiosis between Brussels?

"Certainly. Another positive aspect of our co-operation with DGI is the pedagogic assistance we get on a monthly basis. This means that practically every month a conference interpretation expert comes over from Brussels and helps with the teaching and/or examining. So far, pedagogic assistants have also acted as external examiners at our final exams. Needless to say, that's a great opportunity for our students."

Apart from co-operating with DGI, Brussels, via the master's in conference interpretation, and the faculty of modern languages are involved in a variety of Erasmus projects and student and staff exchanges.

Obviously Kostova is pleased with the Brussels initiative and indeed it is another small but positive sign of the importance of European integration. A logical loop: EU pays to educate Bulgarians so that Bulgarians can be employed representing their country within the EU. It is not just symbiosis, it is wonderfully holistic.

The EU funding is important for another more oblique reason. Too many Bulgarians are dismissive of the potential benefits arising from membership; there is a slightly cynical, if not totally unjustified belief, that the EU will benefit Sofia alone. The view held by many outside the capital that they are the poor relations can only be dispelled by the EU ensuring that its largesse is distributed fairly around the country. Few Bulgarians want charity, just recognition of their continuing hard work.

The relationship between Brussels and Veliko Turnovo is a valuable one for many reasons. A debt of gratitude is owed to Kostova and her hard-working staff at the university for generating an interest from Brussels in provincial funding.