Over 1300 contracts were implemented in Ruse Region during the programming period 2014-2020, with a total value of nearly BGN 200,000 in grant aid and over 1,000 beneficiaries, said Ruse Regional Information Centre Manager Diana Avramova during a local conference as part of BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference took place at the BTA National Press Club here on Monday.
Among the implemented projects under the Operational Programme Transport, Avramova distinguished initiatives of the Railway Infrastructure National Company, the Port Infrastructure State Enterprise and the Executive Agency for Research and Maintenance of the Danube River.
She pointed out that the water pipes of the city were replaced under the Operational Programme Environment, while the municipalities implemented various projects related to landfill reclamation and the construction of an anaerobic plant. Ruse Municipality also purchased electric vehicles, with the aim of cleaner air, she noted.
“Ruse Municipality managed to implement a number of projects, including renewing its educational infrastructure, repairing schools, kindergartens and social institutions. Byala Municipality managed to restore the Kolyu Ficheto bridge, and the vocational high school in Dve Mogili is being renovated,” Avramova said.
She added that projects for energy efficiency, technological modernization, and the introduction of innovations in business were implemented under the Operational Programme Competitiveness, while the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth helped integrate students into dual training.
Avramova recalled that currently there are Regional Information Centres in every regional city in Bulgaria and their main activity includes providing free information to interested parties about open procedures under the programmes that are part of Bulgaria's partnership agreement with the European Commission.
"In addition, we are touring the Ruse Region and looking for good practices of already completed projects. The purpose of this is to encourage those who have not yet applied and to show that European funds are not something impossible and complicated. They are absolutely accessible to anyone who wants to realize their idea," Avramova emphasised.
She also commented on projects under the Recovery and Resiliance Plan, which should be completed by the middle of 2026. Many of those projects will provide technological modernization of companies, STEM classrooms for schools, energy efficiency of various buildings and the construction of infrastructure sites.
BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. Cross-border conferences will be held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
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