site.btaBulgarian Project among Finalists in European Commission's REGIOSTARS 2024 Competition

Voting to determine the winner of the European Commission REGIOSTARS 2024 competition begins on September 2, according to information published by the EC Representation in Bulgaria on Monday.

One of  the finalists in the Green Europe category is the Bulgarian project Swipe for a Greener Future by the Swipe.bg company in the. Swipe is a Bulgarian platform for buying and selling second-hand mobile phones, with the aim of reducing waste from electrical and electronic equipment and promoting sustainable consumption.

The Bulgarian project is one of the 25 finalists in the competition, selected by a jury in July. As in previous years, the public has the opportunity to vote for their favorite for the Audience Choice Award.

The finalists will meet for the final round of the competition during the European Week of Regions and Cities and the winners will be announced at the REGIOSTARS ceremony on 9 October 2024.

The REGIOSTARS Awards are presented for excellence in EU-funded projects that demonstrate the impact of regional development policy and its inclusive nature.

The REGIOSTARS competition encourages regions to implement European regional projects with a significant impact on people's lives. The five categories of the competition are: A Competitive and Smart Europe;  A Green Europe; A Connected Europe; A Social and Inclusive Europe; A Europe Closer to the Citizens.

In 2023, a Bulgarian project for the reconstruction of an existing building into a cultural and educational center, museum for contemporary art and a library, financed under the Regions in Growth Operational Programme 2014-2020 managed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, won the special audience award in the competition. The project was one of the jury's five nominations in the A Europe Closer to the Citizens category.

The REGIOSTARS are an annual competition organized by the European Commission since 2008.