site.btaStrategic Cross-Border Projects between Bulgaria and Serbia to Improve Natural Disaster Response

A grant agreement for a strategic project to improve the management of responses to natural disasters in the Bulgaria-Serbia border region was handed over by Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Angelina Boneva on Thursday. The ceremony took place at the Training Centre next to the building of the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Population Protection (DGFSPP) in Sofia. 

The project is funded under the Bulgaria-Serbia Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2021-2027. More than EUR 7.2 million will be used to finance training to improve and upgrade the skills of rescue teams on both sides of the border, prepare the population for crisis response and buy new equipment. The contract period is 30 months.

The lead partner is (DGFSPP). Partners in the project are Serbia's Sector for Emergency Management, the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, and the National Association of Volunteers in Bulgaria.

Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Angelina Boneva said that four elements of the grant agreement are exemplary in terms of how to proceed from now on. The first and most important element is the joint work on European projects between Bulgaria and Serbia. The second element is the professional staff as well as the assistance and preliminary training of all volunteers and others willing to support the work. The third important element is the infrastructure, machinery, IT systems and other types of equipment that have been delivered under the project. The fourth element is to build capacity together to achieve smooth coordination in difficult situation, Boneva said.