site.btaGREENSMARTMED Final Event for Green Transformation Begins in Stara Zagora

The final event under the international GREENSMARTMED project, co-financed under the Interreg Euro-MED programme within the Innovative Sustainable Economy mission, began in Stara Zagora on Wednesday. The forum is being held at Trakia University and is organized by the Regional Economic Development Agency (REDA) Stara Zagora.

Over the course of two days, representatives of businesses, public institutions, academia, clusters and innovation experts from Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, France and Greece will discuss opportunities for accelerating the green transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Mediterranean region.

During the final event, participants will present the results achieved under the project, the practical experience gained and the work of the regional groups in the five participating countries. Discussions will also focus on opportunities for the developed methodology to be applied in future European policies, regional innovation strategies and interregional cooperation initiatives.

According to the organizers, testing the GREENSMARTMED methodology in regions with different levels of economic development will make it possible to develop a widely applicable model for sustainable production in Europe.

The forum will also provide an opportunity to present the broader activities of Stara Zagora Municipality related to European projects in the areas of green transition, circular economy and sustainable urban development. Among the highlights is the TEXAD project, aimed at improving the collection, sorting, reuse and recycling of textile waste. Through this initiative, the topic of sustainable textiles and circular solutions for European municipalities will be discussed in the context of local green transition policies.

The GREENSMARTMED project aims to support the sustainable development of manufacturing enterprises through the development of an integrated methodology and toolkit for transregional cooperation between businesses, academia, the public sector and civil society. The initiative builds on the results of the GREENOMED and FinMED projects and uses the GREEN GROWTH network to create a common approach to sustainable production and the implementation of innovations.

The project focuses on strategic manufacturing sectors such as mechanical engineering, textiles, plastics, agri-food industry, mobility and batteries. Particular emphasis is placed on solutions for sustainable materials and chemicals, optimization of energy and resource consumption, technology transfer and reduction of harmful emissions.

The GREENSMARTMED project involves ten partners from Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, France and Greece, including universities, research centres, regional organizations and business networks. The associated partners include the Zagore European Digital Innovation Hub.