In accordance with Article 6 of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)
Table of contents
1. Identification and ownership
The Friendship Bridge platform (friendshipbridge.eu, https://friendshipbridge.substack.com/, YouTube, Viber) is an independent digital publication, a Romanian-Bulgarian blog, created, maintained, and edited entirely by me—Vladimir Mitev (a Bulgarian citizen and Romanian-speaking journalist)—in my capacity as a natural person engaged in independent journalistic and analytical work.
This statement of transparency, ownership, and editorial independence stems from the conscious intellectual choice of the Bridge of Friendship website to develop as an independent platform with its own financial and editorial model.
- Legal status: The project is not affiliated with any legal entity (commercial company, political party, or non-governmental organization).
- Beneficial owner: I am the sole owner, editor, and administrator of the content. There are no partners, investors, or hidden puppet masters who hold direct or indirect stakes or exert influence over editorial policy.
2. Editorial independence and ethics
The editorial policy of my platforms is guided entirely by the principles of impartiality, intellectual honesty, and the desire to foster cross-border dialogue.
- Decision-making autonomy: All decisions regarding the selection of topics, the publication of texts, translations, and interviews are made exclusively by me. These are not subject to approval, censorship, or modification by external individuals, institutions, or sponsors.
- Protection against pressure: In accordance with European standards, I reject any attempt at political, economic, or institutional pressure. My collaboration with other media outlets does not influence my approach to the content I publish independently on this personal blog.
3. Funding model and financial transparency
The Bridge of Friendship operates according to the following financial model:
- Self-funding: The platform’s basic expenses (hosting, domains, plugins, technical support, travel expenses, funds for contributor fees, etc.) are covered by the author’s personal funds, generated from independent professional activities (work for other media outlets, translations, technical video work, teaching activities) and personal investments (on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange). Self-financing is a guarantee of the absence of corporate dependencies.
- Government advertising and public funds: As of this update, the platform does not receive funding in the form of government advertising, municipal contracts, party subsidies, or funds from European media funds. Should projects funded by public institutions or legitimate European programs be carried out in the future, information regarding them (amount and source) will be immediately and publicly disclosed in this section.
- Cross-border journalism: In 2024–2025, Vladimir Mitev carried out a cross-border journalism project, funded by the Belgian organization Journalism Fund, on the just transition in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria, together with his colleagues from the Cross-Border Talks website. More information about this project can be found here.
- Funding from third countries: The platform does not accept donations, grants, or subsidies from governments, public authorities, or their affiliated entities outside the European Union.
4. Transparency of relationships and conflict of interest
To be completely transparent with the public, I declare the following commitments of mine, which are related to the regional context:
- I work as a freelance translator for Romanian-Bulgarian events and seminars.
- I collaborate with non-Bulgarian media outlets and think tanks, with whom I share my experience or knowledge (for example, in Romania and Poland).
- I produce video recordings and editing for media projects in which I participate or serve as a technical collaborator (such as the website Cross-border Talks, based in Poland, and the podcast Marginalia in Bulgaria)
These engagements do not constitute a conflict of interest, as none of these institutions exercises control over the content of the Friendship Bridge and has no right to do so.
5. Contact
To contact me, write here.
Last updated: May 2026
