Deputy Minister Of Regional Development Savin Kovachev Meets with delegation of the Parliament and Government of the Bern Canton, Switzerland

Deputy Regional Development and Public Works Minister Savin Kovachev met today a visiting delegation of the Parliament and Government of the Swiss Canton of Bern, headed by Parliament President Dieter Wiedmer. The meeting was held within the framework of the official Bulgarian visit by the Swiss delegation on the invitation of the parliamentary committee on local self-government, regional policy and public works. The main issue discussed at the meeting at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works was a pilot project on Referendum and Civic Initiative, implemented with financial aid from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The two sides shared the view that the introduction of this law in the Bulgarian practice would help raise the level of local self-government and achieve the aims of decentralization which is among the top priorities of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. Deputy Minister Savin Kovachev thanked for the Swiss government’s financial commitment to the pilot project for a bill on referendums, and underscored its significance for the development of democracy in Bulgaria. Also on the agenda was the territorial structure of Bulgaria and the urban development and construction regulations in for the various territory categories. The two sides found that they share the common goal of protecting woodlands and farmland areas and preventing their arbitrary urbanization. Public Relations and International Activity Directorate