site.btaEUR 21 Mln-plus to Be Invested in Tourism in Cross-Border Regions with Turkiye, North Macedonia

The first 71 project ideas for the development of Bulgaria's cross-border regions with Turkiye and the Republic of North Macedonia have been submitted to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, which is the managing authority of the two EU-funded programmes. The submitted conceptual ideas are in the field of tourism and increasing the competitiveness of local economies in the border settlements, digital and green transition. These are the first projects to receive funding under the new European programmes that promote cross-border cooperation.

The first calls for proposals for the territorial strategies of the programmes were launched on May 23, 2023.

Over EUR 8.1 million will be allocated to the projects applying under the INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria - North Macedonia 2021-2027 Programme under the measure "Development of an attractive and year-round tourism product through smart solutions ensuring universal access and participation". The submitted project ideas offer opportunities to improve mobility and connectivity in the border regions of Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Projects will also be funded for branding and marketing tourism products, increasing visitor arrivals and strengthening links between tourism and natural and cultural sites, as well as activities to reduce the vulnerability of services in the tourism sector. The programme area covers the districts of Blagoevgrad and Kyustendil on the Bulgarian side and the North-Eastern, Eastern and South-Eastern regions in the Republic of North Macedonia.

More than EUR 13.4 million will support the projects submitted under the INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria-Turkiye 2021-2027 Programme. They mainly foresee strengthening economic growth by increasing the local economy competitiveness, introducing digital and green transformation measures, improving the employability and adaptability of local residents to the labour market. Projects will also be funded to develop tourism by unlocking the potential of natural sites in the regions of Burgas, Yambol, Haskovo and the Turkish provinces of Adrianople and Kirklareli (Lozengrad). The aim is to stimulate regional economic potential in a wider territorial scope.

Submissions are to be reviewed by the Strategy Management Boards. Applicants with the best ideas that contribute to the achievement of the strategies' objectives and priorities will be invited to participate in the next selection stage by submitting full project proposals.