Minister Avramova: The main goal in the next programming period will be balanced territorial development

We are working on a change in the regional policy. The main goal in the next programming period will be balanced territorial development. We anticipate the focus to be on projects that meet the needs and specifics of each area, each region. Thus, the funding will reach all settlements so that there are no blank spots on the map of Bulgaria.

This was said by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Petya Avramova during her participation in the Final Conference of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria for the 2015-2019 term.

The Regional Minister announced that 455 contracts with municipalities worth about BGN 1.5 billion are currently being implemented with funding from the Operational Programme “Regions in Growth”. She pointed out that despite the visible results, there are still disparities between the “centre” and the “periphery” on a national, regional and local scale.

Avramova explained that the funds under the OPRG 2021-2027 will be divided into two main components – urban and territorial. The budget of the future programme is expected to be larger than the current one. The resource is expected to be around EUR 1.5 billion, to which national co-financing will be added. She pointed out that the amount is indicative and this is the framework from which the negotiations start.

According to the new regulation, a certain resource must be set aside for the next programming period to support sustainable urban development. This is about EUR 339 million, to which funds from the national budget will also be added. The urban component is expected to cover the municipalities of 10 majour cities, Avramova said.

Regional projects will be implemented through partnerships involving various stakeholders. They will be able to offer a solution to an existing common problem or be aimed at exploiting the development potential of the territory. Each integrated project will contain several components depending on the necessary investments – for example, a road, a hospital, soft measures to provide common health care for several municipalities, etc., and will be targeted at a specific operational programme. Such projects will be important for the whole region, the Minister said. She gave as an example the idea of ​​a four-lane road between Sliven and Yambol and an economic zone to be implemented around this road, so that people from both areas can work in it.

Petya Avramova stressed that the implementation of such projects will require strong regional structures and therefore changes in the Regional Development Act are envisaged. For the period after 2021, a change in the structure and composition of the regional development councils is being considered. They will be given the opportunity to make actual decisions regarding the selection of projects for the corresponding region. They will also have functions for the implementation of programmes co-financed under the European Structural and Investment Funds.

The main challenge will be the extent to which all participants in the process will be able to work in partnership and implement the new way of managing regional policy. The success of the projects and their benefit for the people will depend on this, the regional minister said. “We believe that the implementation of the multi-fund approach will support the implementation of comprehensive measures to address the most pressing local and regional problems. Thus, we will take another step towards sustainable and balanced development of all regions in the country,” Petya Avramova also said.