site.btaFunding Agreements Presented for Bulgaria-Serbia Cross-Border Projects

May 16 (BTA) - Bulgaria and Serbia will carry out joint
projects for sustainable tourism, support for young people and
environmental protection, financed under the Interreg-IPA CBC
BulgariaЦSerbia Programme 2014-2020.

On Thursday, Bulgaria's Regional Development and Public Works
Minister Petya Avramova and Serbia's European Integration
Minister Jadranka Joksimovic presented funding agreements within
 the Programme's second call for project proposals.

Avramova recalled that 39 agreements totalling 18.5 million euro
 were signed within the first call for proposals. The
implementation of 33 of these agreements has been completed and
the remaining six will be completed later this year. The second
call, which is for a budget of 12 million euro, attracted 235
project proposals last year. Eventually, 31 funding agreements
totalling more than 8 million euro were signed. The total sum
includes 3.5 million euro for 14 projects for sustainable
tourism, a little over 1 million euro for eight projects in
support of young people in the Bulgaria-Serbia cross-border
region, and over 3.5 million euro for nine projects for
environmental risk management and environmental protection. Nine
 of the approved projects have an investment component to them,
and 22 projects are of the "soft measures" type.

Another five environmental projects totalling 3 million euro
have also been approved for funding, but the funding agreements
will not be signed until after the financial resources available
 under this axis are re-allocated, Avramova explained. She
expressed her expectation that these measures will help attain
the goals of the Programme as the agreed funding is absorbed in
full.

Joksimovic said Serbia has seven cross-border cooperation
programmes, and the one with Bulgaria is one of the most varied
and successful. She expressed hope that the Interreg-IPA CBC
BulgariaЦSerbia Programme will continue to be successful during
the 2021-2027 programming period and will benefit the relatively
 underdeveloped border region between the two countries. Serbia
values Bulgaria's European expertise, Joksimovic said,
expressing hope that her country will join the EU in the
not-so-distant future. IG/VE