Opportunities to support territorial development under the ESPON programme were discussed by representatives of state and local authorities, academia and experts

ESPON Territorial Development Support Opportunities Discussed Representatives of State and Local Authorities, Academics and Experts - 2ESPON Territorial Development Support Opportunities Discussed Representatives of State and Local Authorities, Academics and Experts ESPON Territorial Development Support Opportunities Discussed Representatives of State and Local Authorities, Academics and Experts - 1ESPON Territorial Development Support Opportunities Discussed Representatives of State and Local Authorities, Academics and Experts - 2ESPON Territorial Development Support Opportunities Discussed Representatives of State and Local Authorities, Academics and Experts

The opportunities that the European interregional cooperation programme ESPON 2030 and its Lordimas instrument provide in support of territorial development and cohesion policy were discussed by representatives of the state administration, local authorities, academia and the expert community. 

Within two days the experts got acquainted with the objectives and advantages of ESPON's digital tools in the field of territorial analysis, modern analytical tools, transfer of scientific knowledge and opportunities for application in the Bulgarian institutions of the digital platform Lordimas.

“In the society we live in today, digital tools are no longer just a choice, but an obligation,” Desislava Georgieva, Director of the Territorial Cooperation Management Directorate at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, told the forum participants. "Given the ever-increasing needs of business for such instruments, we, as public institutions, need to make business opportunities more accessible, clearer and less costly," Georgieva stressed. For Bulgaria, participation in ESPON 2030 means a stronger voice in the European debate on territorial development, access to comparable information for all regions in the EU and the opportunity for our actions to build on modern analytical tools.

"As a responsible ministry, MRDPW has the ambition to promote the active involvement of Bulgarian institutions, municipalities, universities and expert organizations in the projects and research under the programme", explained Desislava Georgieva and added that the aim is to use the potential of ESPON to support the transition to more competitive, connected and sustainable regions, in the spirit of the Territorial Agenda 2030 and the common goals for a fairer and greener Europe.

“I am convinced that it is through a partnership between the state, local authorities, the scientific community and business that we can translate analytical results into real policies and projects on the ground,” Georgieva concluded.

With a budget of €60 million, the ESPON 2030 programme for European interregional cooperation aims to support European cohesion policy with scientific evidence and research. One of the goals of the program is that by 2030 one hundred percent of the services provided by municipalities should be digitized and provided electronically.

During the forum was presented the experience in the field of digital transformation of a number of European countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and others.

The contact point for Bulgaria under the program is the National Center for Territorial Development.

"Today we have two objectives - to become more aware of the opportunities provided by the programme and second - to create space for dialogue - what are the needs on the ground and together to focus future research on the most important topics for Bulgaria. In order to seek together better solutions for the territorial development of our country and to develop more common initiatives under the programme", said Rositsa Dimitrova, Executive Director of the National Center for Territorial Development at the information meetings.