Since Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, this country has received BGN 16.7 billion from cohesion funds, said Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission's Representation in Bulgaria, at the Europe of The Balkans: Together through Knowledge conference in Veliki Preslav on Friday.
She noted that more than BGN 35 billion are available for the 2021-2027 programming period and emphasised that thanks to these investments in the public sector, Bulgaria's GDP grew from 35% to 60% of the EU average. "There is still much to be desired and done. Here, too, the question is how to make the investment of European funds improve people's standard of living as much as possible", Chobanova also pointed out.
According to her, the first answer is through connectivity, and that is why a large part of the funds for the period up to 2020 were directed specifically to infrastructure. "We have built 375 km of new roads, about 1,800 km of rehabilitated roads, 380 km of railway lines, which represent about 10% of the entire network", Chobanova emphasised, adding that about 15,000 jobs have been created in small and medium-sized enterprises as well.
"The second answer is knowledge. The countries that we would like Bulgaria to get closer to are those in which education and science are best developed", she commented and pointed out that investments in knowledge and education have always been a priority for Bulgarians. "The source of wealth today is not so much the result of natural resources or geographical location, but of the knowledge and skills that transform raw materials into new high-tech goods and services with high added value," Chobanova said.
"Competitiveness depends on the ability of countries, regions, Bulgaria and the Balkans, all together, to act beyond their national borders in order to realise their economy," she stressed. A highly qualified workforce is the next element, especially in areas such as digital technologies, exact and natural sciences, Chobanova noted.
Under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Bulgaria will invest over BGN 800,000 in the four schools in Veliki Preslav, and build STEM laboratories in each one of them, so that students can develop skills that are close to solving real world problems. With these skills, students will be better prepared for jobs in high-tech industries such as information technology, mechanical engineering, biotechnology, she emphasised.
On the occasion of National Awakeners' Day and the history of Veliki Preslav, Chobanova stressed that education and science are the basis for achieving successful growth, which the citizens of Bulgaria and Europe deserve.
The Europe in the Balkans: Together through Knowledge project is a continuation of the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The main objective of the project will be to provide objective and comprehensive information and an accurate overall picture of the European Union's cohesion policy in all Bulgarian regions. Special emphasis will be placed on skills and knowledge as an engine for regional development.
As part of the project, in the period from November 2024 to September 2025, BTA will organize discussions in its regional press clubs in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardjali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik , Pernik, Petrich, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen and Yambol. BTA will also hold cross-border conferences in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje and Thessaloniki.
/MT/
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