site.btaLocal Authorities, Academics Present Successful Projects at BTA Conference "Europe in the Balkans: a Common Future" in Gabrovo

Representatives of local authorities and the Technical University of Gabrovo presented joint successful projects during the conference "Europe in the Balkans: a Common Future", which took place at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Gabrovo on Tuesday.

Gabrovo Deputy Regional Governor Ivan Lyubomirov welcomed the organizers and participants. He stressed that the benefits of EU programmes are visible to all and voiced hope that the efforts of the institutions are directed towards transparency and efficiency.

Zhana Bastreva, Chief Expert at the Gabrovo Municipality Department of Infrastructure and Ecology, said that the local authorities’ aim is to create an innovative, green and inclusive municipality that works for its citizens.

Maria Radoycheva of the same department added that Gabrovo is transforming through a number of projects. The municipality is a member of the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which includes 100 cities in Europe that must become climate neutral by 2030, she noted, specifying that many of the municipality's projects are aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Gabrovo has also established Bulgaria's first energy community with 73 participants in it. This organization’s goal is to build a renewable energy installation at the regional landfill.

A line between Gabrovo and the town of Sevlievo, operated by seven environmentally friendly buses, will be established under another infrastructure project.

A project for creating an inclusive environment between Gabrovo and Plovdiv is being implemented. Five ideas totalling more than 88 million BGN are being prepared. The project also envisages the construction of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre, the renovation of the Gabrovo House of Humour and Satire, the renovation of the Orlovets sports hall, and the development of the riverside area in the city with a new pedestrian bridge over the Yantra River.

Gabrovo Regional Information Centre Head Marinela Sabeva stressed that some BGN 370 million were invested in the Gabrovo region under various programmes in the past programming period.

Seventy contracts totalling BGN 35 million have been signed under Bulgaria’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Those funds are for local businesses, cybersecurity, construction of self-consumption photovoltaic plants, and technological modernization.

Another BGN 23 million related to environmental measures and energy efficiency of public buildings have been allocated to the municipalities of Gabrovo, Sevlievo and Dryanovo.

Iliya Zhelezarov, Rector of the Technical University of Gabrovo, said that the University stands at the core of the Innovation Hill Gabrovo project. Zhelezarov stressed that in the previous programming period all institutions in Gabrovo have made great efforts to build Innovation Hill Gabrovo. "This is an initiative of the European Commission to build a consortium of 100 innovation valleys in Europe. Our goal is for Gabrovo to be part of this consortium. The Technical University is part of the network of European innovative universities. This is a consortium of 30 innovative European universities, united with the European Commission’s assistance. Our aim is to bring together learning process, science and technology", he explained.

The project "Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future" is implemented by BTA with the support of the European Commission and builds on a past project, "Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future". It aims to create a better understanding of the role of the cohesion policy in the Balkans; raising awareness of projects funded by the EU through the cohesion funds; promoting dialogue on the results the projects have produced at local level, as well as civic participation on issues related to cohesion policy.

The series of conferences in the project "Europe in the Balkans: a Common Future" was launched on December 20 last year in Sofia. By August 2024, discussions are scheduled to be held in: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Vidin, Vratsa, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Ruse, Samokov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, Yambol, Razgrad, Veliko Tarnovo, Silistra and Gabrovo, as well as cross-border conferences in Bucharest, Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Adrianople, Skopje and Thessaloniki. Several of these have already taken place.

On February 6, there will be a discussion in Burgas (on the Black Sea).