site.btaPartner Municipalities from Bulgaria and Serbia Approve Joint Projects

Partner municipalities from Bulgaria and Serbia approved nine projects worth EUR 8.5 million on Thursday in Montana at a meeting of the Strategic Council Board to seek funding from the Interreg Bulgaria - Serbia 2021-2027 cross-border cooperation programme, said Montana Municipality. Тhe list of selected project proposals is yet to be submitted for approval to the European monitoring committee.

Montana Mayor Zlatko Zhivkov and Dragana Stojanovic, Director at the Regional Development Agency South in Serbia, co-chaired the meeting together. Zhivkov noted that each of the projects could have a budget between EUR 500,000 and EUR 1 million euros, with an implementation period of 12 to 24 months. 

The projects will be implemented in the cross-border region, which includes the Municipalities of Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia Region, Pernik, Kyustendil in Bulgaria and Bor, Zaichar, Nishava, Toplica, Pirot, Jablanica and Pcinja in Serbia.

Zhivkov stated that Montana Municipality has extensive experience in implementing joint projects with the Serbian Municipalities of Pirot, Vranje and Mediana. According to him, 16 projects have been implemented with Pirot Municipality in the last 20 years alone, including the renovation of stadiums, schools and kindergartens, purchasing of garbage collection and snow removal equipment, as well as restoration of the historical Belogradchik Fortress and the early Christian basilica.