Over 130 projects with more than 400 partners were implemented under the cross-border cooperation programme between Greece and Bulgaria during the last programming period, said Ioannis Anastasiadis, General Director of HELICAS, who took part via Zoom in the closing conference of the "Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future" project in the Bulgarian seaside resort of Albena on Saturday.
Anastasiadis said that the cross-border cooperation programme between Bulgaria and Greece dates back to 1990 and noted that it is necessary to deepen the public debate about the possibilities for better results and more effective cross-border cooperation. "When we discuss cohesion policy and building stronger regions in Europe, we need to keep in mind borders and how they affect cross-border regions," he emphasised.
Anastasiadis pointed out that there are over 80 European regions in Europe, of which 28 are in the Balkans, but only six of them are more active. He gave the ecosystem of Lake Prespa as an example for successful cross-border cooperation, as it is located on the territory of Greece, Albania and North Macedonia, which makes it necessary for the countries to work together.
/MT/
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