Supporting small and medium-sized businesses is a priority of the new Bulgaria-Turkey cross-border cooperation programme
Supporting small and medium-sized businesses is a priority of the new Bulgaria-Turkey cross-border cooperation
By Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works
Economic support for small and medium-sized businesses and security will be among the top priorities of the new Bulgaria-Turkey Cross-border Cooperation Programme for the period 2021-2027.
This was agreed today by the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Denitsa Nikolova and Faruk Kaymakci - Director for EU Affairs and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. The two officials held talks in the framework of an online meeting of the joint working group on strategic planning and programming of the future programme.
The focus in the new programming period will be on local economic activity and job creation and retention, supporting businesses directly.
To this end, small and medium-sized businesses will have access to a special fund under the new Small Project Support Programme. This will stimulate entrepreneurship and the enterprises themselves and increase production and the expansion of markets.
The EU programme will also fund a project for capacity building, operational cooperation and technological modernisation in the field of migration management, implemented by law enforcement authorities on both sides of the border.
Over the next seven years, on the Bulgarian side, the programme will continue to cover the districts of Burgas, Yambol and Haskovo.
Funding will also continue for environmental protection projects, tourism development and cultural exchanges.
During today's online meeting, the two Deputy Ministers underlined the fruitful cooperation and dialogue in the implementation of joint projects over the years and highlighted the good basis established for taking the next steps and making the upcoming decisions.
"I believe that the experience gained in the implementation of the last two joint programmes and the willingness of both sides to maintain and develop partnership opportunities will allow us to jointly develop an even better programme for the period 2021-2027, which will bring positive results and economic boost to the cross-border area," said Deputy Minister Nikolova. In her words, in the new programming period, projects should be implemented in a way that funds are channeled most efficiently to achieve added value and a more tangible effect on the economic development of the common cross-border region. According to Nikolova, this is key to achieving better economic performance and more intensive regional development.
