Svishtov will absorb nearly BGN 80 million under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and various European programmes, Mayor Gencho Genchev said at the local conference within BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference is taking place at the BTA National Press Club here on Tuesday.
Genchev noted that he has always wanted EU funds to provide their added value and this is a fact already, adding that Svishtov Municipality will be one of the first in 2025 to absorb funds from the EU.
He pointed out that BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project is important in order to understand that Bulgaria is not just accumulating funds. "On the contrary - all projects implemented in Bulgaria provide added value for the whole of Europe", he emphasised, adding that Svishtov is the first municipality to open a Europe Close to Citizens Centre. "Through it, we provide information about EU policies, financial resources and opportunities for young people, business and institutions. This is a successful project that was developed jointly with the European Commission as an innovative model," Genchev said.
He emphasised that investments made in education are a priority of the Municipality, the government, the Education Ministry in order to offer quality education. "We are all talking about AI, and the STEM centres built in schools are a way for young people to enter the new technological environment more confidently", he stated.
Genchev said that there are still problems with the way culture is financed at the municipal level and cultural institutes in general. According to him, it is not right to require 50% co-financing for the implementation of a development in the field. This places discriminatory conditions on cultural institutions and municipalities, since they do not have such a huge resource, he stressed, adding that the high threshold for co-financing scares away beneficiaries from small municipalities from participating. "Svishtov has a great cultural and historical heritage and we are trying with our own funds and with state aid to maintain it, but it is important how this problem will be solved in the coming years", he noted.
Through the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project, BTA 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. Until September 2025, BTA will host discussions at its press clubs 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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