site.btaEvery Rural Municipality to Have Guaranteed Budget under CAP Strategic Plan's Intervention by Year-End

Every municipality in a rural area will have a guaranteed budget under the CAP Strategic Plan's intervention which will be launched by the end of 2024, Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov Friday told representatives of the National Association of the Municipalities in Bulgaria. He was talking ahead of the start of applications for the intervention for improvements of municipal infrastructure.

The budget of the intervention for investment in basic services and small-scale infrastructure in rural areas is BGN 1 billion, which "will improve the quality of life in small settlements and will boost their economic, social and cultural development", Tahov said. The financing has been distributed in the form of guaranteed budgets for each of the 215 municipalities in the rural areas.

The budgets are set in accordance with the methodology approved by the Monitoring Committee in line with objective and non-discriminatory criteria based on official national statistics. The aim is to target support both to poorer and more populous areas and to boost the development of areas with a predominantly working-age population.

The participants in the meeting discussed the draft application guidelines which list the eligible intervention activities: construction and renovation of road and public infrastructure, ensuring reliable water supply, increasing energy efficiency in municipal buildings, renovation of schools and kindergartens, support for the preservation of cultural heritage in rural areas, and investments in public green spaces, parks and gardens.