Projects of Varna and Burgas were declared strategic under the Interreg NEXT “Black Sea Basin” Programme 2021-2027

EU funding will help keep the Black Sea clean, protect the region from fires and disasters

Two Bulgarian projects funded by the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme 2021-2027 have been awarded the status of Strategic Sites for their significant contribution to the achievement of the programme's objectives and have been distinguished as particularly good examples of cooperation. They will be subject to special monitoring and communication measures. The Interreg NEXT Black Sea Programme 2021-2027 promotes cooperation between eight countries in the Black Sea region. The managing authority in Bulgaria is the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.

The secured funding provides for the introduction of innovative solutions, the establishment of small-scale infrastructure, the development of strategies, joint action plans, experience sharing, joint training, etc. Both projects are aimed at developing transnational cooperation in the strategic areas and have good prospects for impact on local economies and people living in the two areas.

One of the awarded projects is “Collaboration for Capacity Building for Community Resilience to Wildfire and Early Warning in the Black Sea Basin”. In Bulgaria it is implemented by the Regional Directorate of Fire Safety and Population Protection - Burgas and the Municipality of Kameno under the priority “Development and improvement of research and innovation capacity and adoption of advanced technologies”. It is planned to develop plans for disaster prevention and measures in case of forest fires in the region. Training on coordination and response to transboundary fires will be provided. The project funds will be used to set up a Mobile Information and Prevention Centre in Moldova, training centres in Turkey, Bulgaria and Ukraine. A joint prevention training programme will also be developed and a network of youth volunteers will be established. A “Forest School” will also be set up for children, where they will receive special training on the importance and protection of forests. An international conference on forest fires is also planned. The total cost of the project is nearly EUR 1.5 million.

The second initiative is the “Establishment and operation of an innovative marine technology transfer network to improve the transition to a sustainable blue economy in the Black Sea basin”, in which the Bulgarian partners are the Association of Bulgarian Black Sea Municipalities and the Technical University - Varna under the priority “Adaptation to climate change, disaster risk prevention, and improving resilience”. The value of the project is over EUR 1.6 million. It provides for the delivery and deployment of an autonomous underwater vehicle, a remotely operated vehicle and the construction of a network of smart buoys to be used for scientific activities. They will provide data, images and videos of the seabed and underwater habitat structures for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health. The project will also carry out a pollution risk assessment. Training sites, mapping of critical areas, training sessions on marine monitoring operations, etc. are planned.

Partners from seven countries in the programme area are involved in the implementation of the two projects.