INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria - North Macedonia 2021-2027

The INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria - North Macedonia 2021-2027 programme is a cross-border cooperation programme financed by the European Union with funds under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III).

The general objective of the programme is to strengthen the territorial cohesion in the cross-border region between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia by providing support for increasing the competitiveness of SMEs and laying the foundations for the creation of cross-border value chains (cooperative cross-border markets), improving mobility and connectivity in the region with the construction of border crossings to deal with the growing traffic of people and goods between the two countries, as well as supporting joint actions to protect the environment and protect the biodiversity of the cross-border region that combine protection and conservation or focus on sustainable solutions for the protection of biological diversity and development of green infrastructure.

The programme area covers the regions of Blagoevgrad and Kyustendil on the Bulgarian side and the North-Eastern, Eastern and South-Eastern regions on the side of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The total budget of the programme is EUR 31,152,400.

The program will finance projects under three priorities: Greener cross-border region, Integrated development of the cross-border region, More connected cross-border region, which will implement a predefined project of strategic importance for the construction of the Strumyani-Berovo border crossing.

Beneficiaries can be local authorities and regional structures of the central administration, academic, scientific, social and training institutions, non-governmental organizations, micro, small and medium enterprises.

The Managing Authority of the Programme is the "Territorial Cooperation Management" Directorate at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of the Republic of Bulgaria, and the National Authority is the Ministry of Local Self-Government of the Republic of North Macedonia.

More information can be found on the programме website.

Approval by the European Commission is pending