More than EUR 6.6 million are being channeled to businesses in the Bulgaria-Turkey border region

More than EUR 6.6 million are foreseen for projects in the field of energy efficiency and circular economy for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises under the upcoming intake of the Bulgaria-Turkey Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. The Programme Monitoring Committee has approved the guidelines for applicants.

“It is extremely important for us at this crucial time to support small and medium-sized businesses for a smoother green transition. We have prepared a simplified procedure with a wide choice of activities to be implemented as quickly as possible by businesses in the region,” said Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Angelina Boneva. She co-chaired the second meeting of the Programme Monitoring Committee, which was held in Yambol.

The projects to be launched must be in the field of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction and the transition to a circular and resource-efficient economy. Businesses will be able to apply, for example, for the purchase of energy-saving equipment, for the energy renovation of production buildings and for the implementation of automatic energy monitoring systems. To contribute to the circular economy, priority is given to promoting circular production processes through activities related to the purchase of technological equipment and the development of new business models. The maximum grant per beneficiary will be up to EUR 200 000. The call for proposals will open in mid-November, after which there will be an information campaign and a forum to seek partners for the projects.

During the meeting of the Monitoring Committee in Yambol, the list of 27 project ideas from the Territorial Strategy was also approved, which will go to the next stage of the application process with a call for full project proposals. Progress on the implementation of the programme from 2014-2020 was also reported. More than EUR 26 million have been disbursed under the programme, which is 94% of its budget.

Deputy Minister Boneva and the members of the Committee visited the reconstructed city bridge at the park in Yambol, financed with more than EUR 223 thousand under the project “Yambol and Edirne - two cities on the Tundzha” from the Bulgaria-Turkey Programme 2014-2020. The investment included a major renovation of the facility, the construction of an entrance portal and a complete architectural and artistic design of the space in front of the park. The new look of the bridge makes a smooth transition between urban and park environment, using elements and materials like those of the modernised centre of Yambol.

The meeting of the Monitoring Committee was held in the building of the cultural-historical centre “Bezistena”, modernized with over BGN 5 million under the Operational Programme “Regional Development” 2007-2013 managed by the Ministry of Regional Development. Built around 1510, the besisten or covered market has been one of the most iconic buildings of Yambol for five centuries and one of the most beautifully preserved of its kind in the Balkans. Today one of its attractions is a kind of “Tunnel of Time”. 25 personalities connected with Yambol tell stories about themselves and the times they lived in. Museums and fortresses, churches, public buildings and parks come to life in 3D-format. All videos in the multimedia exhibition are presented in five languages - Bulgarian, English, German, French and Russian. In the Icon Hall of the Besistena are exhibited extremely rare icons and church utensils from the funds of the Art Gallery “Zhorzh Papazov” - Yambol.