Nikos Papathanasis, Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, has signed the funding agreements for 21 new projects with a total budget of €33.4m under the Interreg VI-A programme “Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027”.
The 21 new projects fall into four main areas:
- Green transition and circular economy: Six projects, with a budget of €9.7m, promote sustainable management and more efficient use of natural resources.
- Environmental and biodiversity protection: Six projects, with a budget of €9.7m, strengthen nature protection and biodiversity conservation, support the development of green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and help reduce pollution.
- Education and social inclusion: Three projects, with a budget of €4.2m, aim to improve equal access to quality education and lifelong learning services, with an emphasis on accessible infrastructure and expanding distance and online learning.
- Cultural heritage and sustainable tourism: Six projects, with a budget of €9.6m, harness the cultural and tourism assets of the cross-border area to drive local economic development, social inclusion and innovation.
The activities cover the Regional Units of Thessaloniki, Serres, Drama, Kavala, Thasos, Xanthi, Rhodope and Evros in Greece, as well as the regions of Blagoevgrad, Smolyan, Kardzhali and Haskovo in Bulgaria. A total of 87 organisations are working together to implement them: 48 from Greece and 39 from Bulgaria. This creates a strong network for cooperation, the exchange of expertise and joint initiatives to benefit local communities.
With the first call for proposals completed and the new agreements signed, the Interreg VI-A programme “Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027” is now moving decisively into the implementation phase. Together with the three approved strategic projects, a total of 24 projects worth €67.6m are being launched, representing 86% of the programme’s total available budget.
As the relevant announcement notes, this development confirms significant progress in mobilising resources and creates the conditions for substantive initiatives with a direct impact on development and society. Interreg cross-border programmes are an important instrument of the EU’s Cohesion Policy, turning cooperation between neighbouring countries into concrete projects and tangible benefits for citizens, while contributing to economic development, territorial cohesion and stability across the wider region.