The Greece-Bulgarian Cross-Border Cooperation Programme is one of the most significant and successful instruments for achieving the EU's priorities, said Krasimira Krumova, senior expert at the Regional Administration of Blagoevgrad, here on Tuesday. She was speaking at the 5th Bulgaria-Greece cross-border conference, held as part of BTA's project "Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future". The conference is held simultaneously in Thessaloniki and Blagoevgrad.
Krumova said that Tuesday's forum gives the two countries the opportunity to share knowledge, exchange experience from good practices, and promote the connection between the countries on both sides of the border.
The discussion on the new aspects of the EU cohesion policy for the 2021-2027 period provides the framework for the successful implementation of joint projects and the tangible effects on strengthening economic, social and territorial ties in the region.
The results achieved in the 2014-2020 period are much more than just statistics, said Krumova. According to her, joint projects make a tangible difference by supporting the creation of jobs, business competitiveness, economic growth, sustainable development and improving people's quality of life.
Krumova presented the project "Cross-border planning and infrastructure measures for flood protection", implemented under the Greece-Bulgaria Cross-border Cooperation Programme, with the participation of the Blagoevgrad, Haskovo, Kardzhali and Smolyan regions on the Bulgarian side and the partners on the Greek side: the Central Macedonia Region, which is the lead partner of the project, the East Macedonia and Thrace Region, and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. The project's implementation started in 2017 and ended in 2023 with a budget of EUR 13 million.
The project aimed to increase the level of flood protection in the cross-border region of the two countries by building protective infrastructure. The project is a pure example of fruitful cooperation and effective partnership, said Krumova. The main objective of the project was to increase the level of flood protection in the cross-border region of Greece and Bulgaria, especially in areas at high risk of flooding.
The Blagoevgrad Regional Administration intends to continue the implementation of successful projects in the new programming period, and one of the next projects under the cross-border programme is expected to build on the project related to flood protection, making the cross-border region more resilient to disasters. "We also intend to engage other successful partnerships in the framework of the open calls for project proposals under the Greece - Bulgaria Cross-Border Cooperation Programme in the 2021-2027 period," she said. Krumova expressed her confidence that cooperation and joint projects have the power to change lives in cross-border regions.
/RY/
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