An additional seven projects for EUR 3.5 million will be funded by the Bulgaria-Turkey CBC Programme 2021-2027

Fourth meeting of the Programme Monitoring Committee held in Adrianople

Thanks to our joint efforts - of the Managing Authority, the National Authority and with the support of the Monitoring Committee, we have made important steps for the progress of the Bulgaria-Turkey CBC Programme 2021-2027, despite the delayed start of the programming period at EU level. This is what Desislava Georgieva, Director of the Directorate for Territorial Cooperation Management of the Ministry of Regional Development and Regional Development, said as a representative of the Managing Authority during the fourth meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the programme held in Edirne. “We can boast of approved projects that have been contracted and are in the process of being contracted, amounting to EUR 23 million or 79 percent of the programme budget. This is above the EU average for interreg programmes,” she informed. She added that EUR 21 million are under negotiation. The resource is targeted at important investments in the areas of tourism and competitiveness, as well as for the green transition of enterprises in the cross-border region.

The meeting of the Monitoring Committee was chaired by Serdar Öztürk, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation of the Directorate for European Union Affairs, Turkey. Among the official guests were Margarita Grancharska-De Munk from the Directorate General Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission and Radoslava Kafedzhiyska, Consul General of Bulgaria in Turkey.

In her welcome speech Margarita Grancharska-De Munk stressed that the Bulgaria-Turkey CBC programme has always been successful and informed that the European Commission will present the legislative proposals for the period after 2027 in July.

The Committee members agreed that the Programme Managing Authority should apply an over-award of up to 15% of the programme budget. This will finance 7 projects on the reserve lists of the first and second priorities of the programme with a total resource of EUR 3.5 million. Five of them are SMEs and will improve energy efficiency and the transition to a circular economy. The other two are for investments in tourism and cultural and historical heritage in the cross-border region.

Nearly EUR 5.2 million - European and national co-financing will be invested in the protection and prevention of forest fires in the cross-border region Bulgaria - Turkey. This is the allocated budget of the forthcoming targeted call for strategic project under priority 2 “Integrated development of the cross-border region”. The guidelines and rules for the application were discussed and approved at the meeting. Nearly EUR 4.4 million of the resource (85%) will be grant funding and the remaining 15% - national co-financing, it became clear in the course of the discussions. With this last call, the financial resource of the programme will be announced at 100%.

The project proposal will be submitted by the General Directorate of Fire Safety and Civil Protection of the Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria (Lead Partner) and the Istanbul Regional Forest Directorate within the General Directorate of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey. Each of the main partners will be able to invite partner organisations. The project will contribute to addressing natural disasters and adapting to a changing climate.

The development of joint disaster response procedures and plans, the establishment of uniform standard operating procedures for interaction between fire safety and emergency response institutions are the focus of European funding under the upcoming call. It will support the procurement of specialised machinery, equipment and devices that will improve the technical and physical capacity of these institutions. Investments can be made in training to improve preparedness for joint action to adapt to climate change and to prevent and mitigate the effects of fires, including those caused by human activity will be supported by European funding under the forthcoming call.

The project “United for Safer Borders”, funded with over EUR 1.7 million, is being actively implemented within the framework of priority three “A more secure cross-border region”, it became clear from the meeting. Nearly EUR 1.5 million of this is EU funding.  The project is aimed at increasing the capacity and improving the cooperation between law enforcement authorities in the territories of the regions of Burgas, Haskovo and Yambol, as well as in the provinces of Edirne and Karklareli in the field of migration. The regional directorates of the Ministry of the Interior in Burgas, Haskovo and Yambol, as well as the provincial administrations of Edirne and Karklareli are partners. Training sessions have already been held on EU legislation and migration management, as well as on the exchange of experience and good practices in relation to the implementation of EU law and the management of international migration. By the end of the year, vans and specialised all-terrain vehicles for the prevention and response to irregular migration are expected to be delivered to the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior. All-terrain vehicles are also foreseen for Edirne.

During the meeting, the projects under negotiation under the two closed calls for proposals - under Priority 1 “Environmentally friendly cross-border region” and under Priority 2 “Integrated development of the cross-border region”, within the framework of Specific Objective 1 “Achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth based on increased competitiveness of the local economy, digital and green transformation” of the Territorial Strategy were discussed. A total of 16 projects for over EUR 6.1 million have been approved under the first priority, the Joint Secretariat informed. They relate to energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in enterprises. Another part of the projects is in the area of transition to a circular and resource-efficient economy. Contract preparation procedures are also underway for 16 approved project ideas worth over EUR 13 million under the second priority of the programme. They are aimed at achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth by increasing the competitiveness of the local economy, digital and green infrastructure.

The Monitoring Committee was attended by representatives of the Managing Authority of the Programme (Directorate for Territorial Cooperation Management in the Ministry of Regional Development and Regional Development), the National Authority (Directorate for European Union Affairs at the Directorate General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation, Republic of Turkey), the Joint Secretariat, Apostol Milev from the Directorate “Central Coordination Unit” at the Council of Ministers - member of the Monitoring Committee with voting rights, and others.