site.btaKyustendil, Stara Zagora, Pernik to Receive over EUR 120 Mln from Just Transition Fund

An additional EUR 123 million will be provided to Bulgaria's big coal regions of Kyustendil, Stara Zagora and Pernik from the Just Transition Fund of the Regional Development Programme 2021–2027, the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry said on Wednesday. The projects were presented to the members of the Just Transition Subcommittees of the three regions with the participation of regional governors, municipal mayors and experts. 

Up to EUR 50 million will be used for funding the construction of a field centre for defense technologies and dual-purpose solutions in Stara Zagora Region, aiming to ensure the testing of unmanned aerial vehicles, drone countermeasure systems and mobility and sustainability systems for armored vehicles.

Over BGN 13 million of the funds are planned for the Regional Centre for Sustainable Production and Logistics Integration of the Kyustendil Municipality. It is planned to build and equip a modern multifunctional logistics area for storage, logistics and packaging of fruits and vegetables produced by local small and medium-sized producers, as well as products of local producers and artisans. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Kyustendil Institute of Agriculture, the Plovdiv University of Food Technologies and the Plovdiv Institute of Food Preservation and Quality.

Training for employees in mining and energy will be funded with a budget of EUR 60 million, as eligible beneficiaries will be micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with their headquarters or main economic activity on the territory of the municipalities in the regions of Kyustendil, Pernik and Stara Zagora.

The Just Transition Fund of the Regional Development Programme 2021–2027 has a total budget of over EUR 1.4 billion, with 341 contracts having been concluded as of March 10, 2026, for a total value of over EUR 320 million (23% of the total budget). The Regional Development Programme 2021–2027 has a total budget of over 3.3 billion euros. 589 grant agreements, including a financing agreement, have been concluded already, for a total value of over EUR 1.65 billion (50% of the programme budget).