Deputy Minister Ivan Asparuhov: The mountain and hilly regions’ development is one of the main priorities of MRDPW

As a ministry, we have an extremely important aim within the government program - to improve the economic status of the poorly developed regions, as well as to find decisions in order to enhance the living standard. We worked out the Targeted Investment Programme to achieve  this objective. The Programme supports the development of the Northwestern Bulgaria, the Rhodopes, Strandzha-Sakar, border, mountainous and hilly poorly developed areas. Our first mission was to find definition and to set their range. The categories of the mountainous and hilly areas belong to this group. That was stated by the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Asparuhov, who took part in the conference on "Mountains – the unvalued wealth of Europe. European politics for mountainous regions’ development."

He made a brief presentation of the Targeted Investment Programme, emphasizing on the special features of the Rhodopes, Strandzha-Sakar, the border, mountainous and hilly areas, subject of the specific sub-programmes. Deputy Minister Asparuhov also shared that one of the main problems was the lack of definition to them.  MRDPW worked in collaboration with the Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which defined the criteria for including territory in these areas, informed Asparuhov. In that sense, we are already able to share the experience we have gained with the European partners, said the Deputy Minister. Large expert and scientific potential as well as all suggestions of the municipalities and the Councils for development from the districts, with areas included in the Programme, have been considered within the Programme’s development, he noted. As a result, we made our first attempt for a national program, aimed at achieving integrity between all municipal, district and regional plans, and the projects under the Operational Programmes," said Deputy Minister Asparuhov. In conclusion, he expressed his hope that all institutions and political parties will support the Programme during its discussion and adoption.

The Parliamentary Secretary of MRDPW, Mrs. Kristina Stoyanova, who also took part in the conference, added that the Targeted Investment Programme seeks to use multi-funding financing as an effective method for attaining integrity and synergy.
A draft report of the Committee on Regional Policy at the European Parliament (EP), which focuses the attention of the European Commission on providing additional targeted investments by the European funds for the mountains, belonging to the territorial range of the Union, was presented during the conference. A research on "Social and economic aspects of the mountainous regions’ development in Bulgaria and the European Union" was introduced as well.
The forum is organized by the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament and the EP Information Office in Bulgaria on the initiative of Mrs. Iliana Yotova – member of the European Parliament.