site.btaBorderless Travel Is One of the Best Things to Happen to Bulgaria, Says Kardzhali Regional Governor

The scrapping of border checks is one of the best things to have happened to Bulgaria, Kardzhali Regional Governor Nikola Chanev said here Thursday. He was among the participants at a local conference within BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference is taking place at the BTA National Press Club here on Thursday.

The fall of border control after Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen agreement, especially for land travel, is a direct advantage, which greatly facilitates trade exchange, the movement of people, goods and capital, Chanev emphasized, adding that the people in the border region of Kardzhali feel it much,

He focused on two projects in which the Kardzhali Regional Administration was a partner during the past programming period, 2014 - 2020. The first of the projects was the so-called "tourism project" under the INTERREG Greece - Bulgaria programme, which was worth EUR 1 million. The available funding was almost EUR 119,000 for the local administration and a direct benefit from it was the development of tourism in the cross-border region, the Governor said.

The second project worth EUR 1.3 million had even more visible results, as the road from Kardzhali to Ivaylovgrad via Momchilgrad and Krumovgrad was repaired, Chanev noted. The Regional Administration is again in the process of applying for EU funding for a project to repair a road, which is part of the Helsinki - Aegean Sea cross-border corridor.

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.