More than 33m euros have been envisaged for projects in the cross-border region of Bulgaria and Turkey

The Joint Working Group for the Preparation of the INTERREG-IPA Bulgaria-Turkey 2021-2027 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, chaired by the Deputy Ministers of Regional Development and Public Works - Zahari Hristov and Faruk Kaymakci - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and Director of European Union Affairs, held an online meeting, which was attended by representatives of the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission Magali Lenoel and Gilles Kittel.

The draft programme was discussed at the meeting, as well as the comments received from stakeholders.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Zahari Hristov said: "In preparing the programme, the proposals of an extremely wide range of stakeholders have been taken into account. Together, we sought a balance between the identified financial resource and urgent priorities with a horizon of 2027. I am convinced that the future programme guarantees investments with long-term results, many of which have a multiplier effect. "

He stressed that the envisaged measures cover the most important priorities of the region - tourism, migration, digitalization, environment, support for small and medium-sized businesses and training of qualified personnel for the local economy, and over the next seven years 33 million euros.