Directorate General Strategic Planning and Programs for Regional Development

Director General: Asya Stankova
E-mail: oprd@mrrb.government.bg

Public Procurement Control and Irregularities Department
Head of Department: Zhivka Georgieva

Coordination and Evaluation Department
Head of Department: Izabel Vladimirova

Monitoring Department
Head of Department: Plamen Iliev

Pre-selection and Contracting Department
Head of Department: Keti Karacholova

Financial Management and Control Department
Head of Department: Nuray Osman

Strategic Planning and Programming Department
Head of Department: Ivaylo Stoyanov

Northwestern Region Department
Head of Department: Boryana Voycheva-Nenkova

North Central Region Department
Head of Department: Vida Vlaykova

Northeastern Region Department
Head of Department: Galina Ivanova

Southeastern Region Department
Head of Department: Vladimir Dukov

South Central Region Department
Head of Department: Petya Agusheva

Southwestern Region Department
Head of Department: Dzheni Uzunova

General Directorate “Strategic Planning and Regional Development Programmes” (GD “SPRDP”):

1. Organizes, coordinates and implements activities on the preparation of programmes, measures and investments co-financed by EU funds, including for the period 2028 - 2034, assigned for implementation by an act of the Council of Ministers or the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, the European Regional Development Fund, the Just Transition Fund, etc., and all the resulting obligations and responsibilities under the regulations of the European Union, the Structural and Investment Funds and the European Funds under shared management;
2. Performs the functions of Managing Authority of Operational Programme "Regional Development" 2007-2013, Operational Programme "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020 and Managing Authority of the Programme "Development of the Regions" 2021-2027 and all resulting obligations and responsibilities under the regulations of the European Union, the Structural and Investment Funds and the European Funds under shared management, including:
a) organize, coordinate and coordinate the preparation and management of the programmes under the Coordination Mechanism for the National Development Plan and the Partnership Agreement in order to achieve sustainable and balanced development of the regions in the Republic of Bulgaria;
manage the activities of the territorial units in the level 2 planning regions;
develop and agree with the European Commission and the Monitoring Committee the methodology and criteria for the selection of operations under the programmes; develop and coordinate an Indicative Annual Work Programme for the upcoming grant award procedures under the programmes; ensure the development and publication of application documents for grant award procedures under the programmes, as well as organize the evaluation of the submitted project proposals;
d) exercise control over the activities of the territorial authorities under the Program "Development of the Regions" 2021-2027;
prepare and conclude grant agreements for programmes and other financial instruments, including amendments thereto (Annexes); performs functions of administration of state and de minimis aid granted in implementation of the programmes;
carry out comprehensive monitoring of the implementation of projects under the programmes, carry out planned and unplanned on-the-spot checks, develop and implement annual plans for on-the-spot checks of projects in implementation and in a period of sustainability;
g) carry out ongoing control and pre-verification control over the implementation of the contracts concluded with beneficiaries;
h) organizes, chairs and provides technical and administrative meetings of the Monitoring Committee of the Programme "Development of the Regions" 2021-2027 and its subcommittees and performs the functions of secretariat; be responsible for implementing the decisions taken;
i) collects and processes, checks and updates the information on the indicators under the programmes in the information system for management and monitoring of EU funds in Bulgaria - UMIS;
ensure the preparation and implementation of the activities for the preparation of ex-ante, ongoing and ex-post evaluation of the programmes in accordance with the requirements of the European legislation and the methodological documents for the Structural and Investment Funds and the Funds for shared management of the European Union;
be responsible for the establishment and use by beneficiaries and other participating units involved in the management and implementation of the programme of a separate accounting system for all planned actions financed under the programmes;
make payments and transfers of funds to beneficiaries;
monitor the legality of financial transactions by putting in place systems and measures for sound financial management and control;
o) carry out observations and apply corrective measures in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission (EC) when irregularities are found;
is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the Annual Action Plan to the National Communication Strategy (NCS) and the information and communication activities for the promotion of the programmes;
q) prepares a final report on the implementation of Operational Programme "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020 and submits it for approval by the Monitoring Committee and the Council for Control and Management of EU Funds to the Council of Ministers before being submitted to the EC and sends them to the EC services. Prepares, summarizes and provides data on the implementation of the Program "Development of the Regions" 2021-2027 in accordance with Article 42 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 and the final report on the quality of the implementation of the Program "Development of the Regions" 2021-2027 in accordance with the requirements of Article 43(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060;
monitor the management and control systems of programmes and ensure a reliable audit trail;
manage, in its capacity as beneficiary, and carry out procurement procedures in relation to the implementation of the technical assistance priorities of the programmes, respecting the principles of separation of functions and responsibilities;
carry out expenditure verification activities in accordance with the requirements of national and Community legislation;
ensure that a system is in place to record and store in computerised form the accounting documents for each operation and the set of data necessary for implementation, financial management, monitoring, verification, audit and evaluation;
organizes the process of accounting of funds under the programmes in accordance with the requirements of national and European legislation and reports to the certifying/accounting body;
organises the process of monitoring the amounts recovered in the accounts of the programmes (irregularly paid amounts, imposed financial corrections, as well as unduly received and incorrectly used funds, etc.);
organise the process of recovery/non-verification of ineligible expenditure under imposed financial corrections;
controls the management of the financial instruments under the financing agreements with the Fund Manager of the financial instruments in Bulgaria under the JESSICA Initiative, the Operational Programme "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020 and the Programme "Development of the Regions" 2021-2027, as well as under the agreements for reinvestment of national resources under the JESSICA Initiative and the Operational Programme "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020;
participates in risk management and risk assessment at programme and project level, including through the Fraud and Irregularity Risk Measurement Tool ARACHNE, as well as risk self-assessment, in accordance with the European Commission's Guidelines on Risk Assessment and the Effective and Proportionate Implementation of Corruption and Fraud Prevention Measures, including participation in the development and updating of risk assessment systems;
3. Performs the functions of the Managing Authority of Operational Programme "Regional Development" 2007 - 2013 until the stage of its full completion with all the resulting obligations and responsibilities under the Regulations of the European Union (EU), the Structural and Cohesion Funds, as well as the national legislation;
4. Performs the functions of the competent national authority responsible for the management and control of actions financed by the European Union Solidarity Fund and all resulting obligations and responsibilities under European Union (EU) regulations and national legislation, including:
(a)submit applications for support from the Solidarity Fund in the event of a national or regional disaster and public health emergencies, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) № 2012/2002 establishing the Solidarity Fund, as amended by Regulation (EU) № 661/2014 and Regulation (EU) 2020/461;
b) manage, control, coordinate and carry out operational, financial and procedural monitoring of the operations financed by the Solidarity Fund in accordance with Decree № 179 of 2015 amending and supplementing Decree № 434 of the Council of Ministers of 2014 determining the bodies and procedures for the management and control of the funds from the Solidarity Fund;
c) organizes and supervises the process of preparing and sending to the Commission a report on the absorption of the funds from the Solidarity Fund for each approved application;
5. Performs the functions of a monitoring and reporting structure under investments C4.I1 "Support for the renovation of the building stock" (sub-measures 2 and 3) and C8.I7 "Green mobility - a pilot scheme to support sustainable urban mobility" under the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria and the resulting commitments under Decree № 157 of the Council of Ministers of 2022 on the designation of the authorities and structures responsible for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria and their main functions;
6. perform functions for the preparation and implementation of measures and investments under the Buildings component of the Social Climate Plan and the resulting commitments under Decree № 24 of the Council of Ministers of 2025;
7. carries out activities on the formation and implementation of policies in the field of regional development, including:
carry out studies and analyses with a view to implementing a national regional development policy;
organizes and coordinates the development and updating of strategic documents for regional development at national and regional level in accordance with the Regional Development Act;
prepare proposals for improvement of national legislation and harmonization with EU legislation in the field of regional development and spatial planning of the territory at national and regional level;
d) organizes and prepares methodological guidelines for development and implementation of the documents for strategic planning of regional development under the Regional Development Act;
coordinates and supervises the effective and efficient implementation of strategic planning documents for regional development during their period of operation;
ensure the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the documents for strategic planning of regional development at national and regional level in accordance with the Regional Development Act;
carry out secretariat functions for regional development councils, including regional coordination in the implementation of programmes co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds and shared management funds;
coordinate the implementation of approaches to integrated territorial development of level 2 planning regions, including the Integrated Territorial Investment Instrument;
i) develop and implement measures for resource provision, institution building and strengthening the capacity for management of regional development;
k) provide information and publicity of the state policy for regional and spatial development;
l) performs activities in relation to its functions as beneficiary/partner of projects financed by EU funds horizontal instruments of the EC;
participates in the planning of measures and means to carry out activities in areas with socio-economic, geographical and demographic handicaps;
8. coordinates and controls the activities of the Maritime Spatial Planning and the development of the Maritime Spatial Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria (MPDPB), coordinates the coordination of the MPDPB with the other Black Sea countries, performs the functions of the Secretariat of the Advisory Council on Maritime Spatial Planning, carries out monitoring and control of the MPDPB, submits the MPDPB for adoption by the National Expert Council on Spatial Planning and Regional Policy and prepares the documents for approval by the Council of Ministers, conducts a public discussion of the MPDPB and the consultations on strategic environmental assessment and/or compatibility assessment, monitors the publication and updating of the MPDPB on the MRDPW website.
(2) The General Directorate SPPRD shall be headed by a General Director. In the exercise of his/her powers, the Director-General shall be assisted by a Deputy Director-General.
(3) The General Directorate SPPRD shall have territorial units supporting the performance of functions under para 1. In carrying out the functions referred to in paragraph 1(7)(h), the territorial units of the General Directorate SPPRD shall participate in the activities of the units of the expert staff of the regional development councils.