site.btaKazanlak Municipality Working on 26 Projects Worth BGN 2.1 Mln Under National Recovery Plan

Kazanlak Municipality is working on 26 projects worth BGN 2.1 million under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Regional Information Centre Manager Radka Tileva said during a local conference held here on Wednesday. The event was part of BTA’s Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project.

Tileva pointed out that a total of 116 contracts have been concluded so far under the NRRP, worth a total of BGN 26.5 million, adding that the contracts give schools the opportunity to build STEM class rooms. She emphasized that according to the European Commission, the understanding of knowledge includes three pillars. These are education, social inclusion, science and innovation. "For each of these pillars, in each partnership agreement that our country signs with the European Commission, we set out the policies that we want to happen, we want to be funded and for which we will work," she stressed.

Tileva outlined the differences between the two programming periods. "If until 2020 the main focus was on modernizing the educational infrastructure, creating access to education for every citizen (...), as well as the opportunity to increase the qualification of teachers, from 2021 the focus has changed and is directed towards digital skills, as well as implementing an interdisciplinary approach in education. This means incorporating knowledge from different fields in order to better adaptability of students, as well as workers to the socio-economic environment in which we live," she explained.

Tileva summarized that through the funds invested in cohesion skills in the Stara Zagora Region during the past programming period, 41 contracts worth nearly BGN 10.7 million were concluded.

BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project 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. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events 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.