I am convinced that it is a great advantage for regions from different European countries to contact directly with each other, announced Minister Valentin Cerovski at a press conference on the occasion of the twinning of the Municipality of Sandanski with

I am convinced that it is a great advantage for regions from different European countries to contact directly with each other, announced Minister Valentin Cerovski at a press conference on the occasion of the twinning of the Municipality of Sandanski with the Irish Meath County. Minister Valentin Cerovski took the initiative to establish a connection between the two local authorities during his visit to Ireland in November last year when he put forward the proposal of twinning the Meath County with a Bulgarian municipality. Ms. Ann Dylan-Gallagher – the Meath County Council Deputy Chair, Mr. Kevin Stewart – Director of Planning and Economic Development Directorate, Mr. Charles McCarty – a chief engineer in Infrastructure Department and Joe Fai - a chief engineer in Capital Construction Department have been on a visit to Bulgaria as guests to the Municipality of Sandanski since Sunday. The initiative of Minister Cerovski has contributed to a fruitful cooperation between a Bulgarian and an Irish municipality, said Mr. Austin Gormley – Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy of Ireland in Bulgaria. He highlighted the importance of the construction of the administrative capacity for the absorption of the EU funds not only on the central level but on the local level as well. During the visit we signed a Letter of Intent for the cooperation between the two municipalities, announced the Municipality of Sandanski Mayor Andon Totev. It is envisaged that the Municipality of Sandanski and the Meath County will cooperate in four aspects: tourism, municipal governance, agricultural governance and exchange of experience, and municipal infrastructural construction. We recommended to the Municipality of Sandanski when applying for projects funded by the EU to employ the Meath County approach, said Kevin Stewart – Director of Planning and Economic Development Directorate. He specified that in this respect the plan, which they had worked out for development of the County for a six-year period, was outstandingly helpful. The recently adopted Regional Development Act envisages the adoption of such plans and this is the right way to follow, said Minister Valentin Cerovski. Photo: /left to right/ Ms. Ann Dylan-Gallagher – the Meath County Council Deputy Chair, Mr. Austin Gormley – Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy of Ireland, and Minister Valentin Cerovski PR & International Relations Directorate