The main idea of the Cooperation Programme Interreg VI-A "Greece-Bulgaria 2021-2027" is that the problems of neighbouring countries can be solved faster and easier in the framework of joint cooperation, said the head of the Managing Authority “Interreg 2021-2027”, Maria Nezeriti, at the 5th cross-border conference of the project "Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future", implemented by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Thessaloniki on Tuesday.
The Interreg Programme develops activities that bring people together on both sides of the Bulgarian-Greek border, she added.
"I welcome BTA's initiative to organize this conference in Thessaloniki. Bulgaria and Greece are two neighbouring countries with a rich common past," Nezeriti said. She stressed that in the 1990s a new era of intensive cooperation started for the two countries, which is intensifying, thanks to the Interreg Territorial Cooperation Programme. In this sense, cohesion policy is of fundamental importance, especially with the constant change of the challenges facing the countries, such as climate change and demography, Nezeriti noted.
She said that the cohesion policy of the European Union provides opportunities, creates conditions for the prosperity of countries and increases the quality of life. The territorial cooperation programme between Bulgaria and Greece over the last two decades has developed these opportunities and provided conditions for development and progress, Nezeriti noted.
She pointed out that the Cohesion Policy in the period 2021-2027 provides a total of EUR40 billion under Interreg programmes for the European Union countries to develop a smarter, greener, more connected and more social Europe that is closer to citizens.
“In the 2014-2020 programming period, EUR 158 million were channeled to Bulgaria and Greece under the Programme for a total of 130 projects, whose importance and results are impressive for the region. Today we have with us at the conference the major beneficiaries of this Programme who will share their experiences,” Nezeriti said.
In the programming period 2021-2027, the Interreg budget foresees EUR 84 million with 80% co-financing for Bulgaria and Greece, targeting 11 regions in the two countries, she highlighted. Nezeriti added that the Programme aims to achieve the cohesion policy objectives of a more flexible, greener and more accessible Bulgarian-Greek cross-border area.
On March 27, the deadline for proposals under the Interreg Programme from Bulgaria and Greece expired, with a total of 163 concepts accepted, she said. “We are optimistic that in the 2021-2027 programming period we will achieve the set objectives, we expect the projects to be approved soon and the work to continue,” Nezeriti noted.
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