December 2 (SeeNews) - The European Commission has approved the cross-border cooperation programme between Bulgaria and Serbia, unlocking over 38 million euro ($40 million) in financing for regions on either side of their border during the new 2021-2027 programming period, the regional development ministry said.
The Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation (CBC) Bulgaria-Serbia Programme will ensure funds for the development of the Bulgarian regions of Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia, Pernik and Kyustendil, the ministry said in a press release earlier this week.
On the Serbian side, the regions that will benefit from the programme are Bor, Zajecar, Nisava, Toplica, Pirot, Jablanica and Pcinja.
Investments in integrated territorial development focusing on the specific needs of the cross-border region will claim the largest share of the programme budget, or more than 23 million euro. These investments will involve projects in tourism, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and job creation, with 17% of the total budget to be disbursed for increasing competitiveness of local small and mid-sized enterprises.
Over 8 million euro is earmarked for training, population readiness and equipment for response to environmental disasters such as fires and floods.
The Bulgaria-Serbia cross-border cooperation programme for the previous 2014-2020 period had a budget of some 34 million euro.
($ = 0.9497 euro)