Bulgaria, Türkiye launch new cross-border programme

More than EUR 88 million has been invested in the development of settlements in the border regions between Bulgaria and Türkiye over the past 20 years under the INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria-Türkiye programme managed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works and head of the programme's Managing Authority of Bulgaria, Desislava Georgieva, said in Burgas, on the Black Sea, on Tuesday.

Georgieva spoke at the opening of the first meeting of the Programming Working Group for the future joint programme between the two countries for the 2028-2034 period, the ministry reported, CE Report quotes BTA.

Georgieva reported that more than 280 projects involving more than 600 partners have been implemented to develop the economy and tourism, protect the environment and improve security along the border.

The deputy minister noted that work on the new EU-funded programme began at the start of 2026, with active consultations being held with all stakeholders, as well as a series of meetings in various formats.

"The goal was to identify the most important priorities for the region and hear the actual needs on both sides of the border, so that we can strike the right balance between the ideas we want to implement and the requirements we need to meet," Georgieva said.

The meeting was also attended by Serdar Ozturk, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation at Turkiye's Directorate for EU Affairs; Margarita Grantcharska-de Muynck of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, who joined the meeting online; representatives of NGOs and government organizations from both countries.

Photo: Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works