The thought "Together is much better" has always supported the peoples of our regions in their development. Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia dates back long before the formalization of cross-border cooperation and began in 2003 with the Phare, CARDS and Neighborhood Program the Republic of Bulgaria - the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia programs in the period from 2003 to 2006. IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme for the programme period 2007-2013 started after that, which was succeeded by the Interreg IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020, started working late.
The years behind us have brought us many realized projects, over 100 up to 2009 and exactly 178 approved projects for funding since 2009 so far, the years behind us have also brought us many dreams come true and problems solved, thanks to European Union funding, many acquired knowledge, renewed educational institutions, strengthened capacity of institutions, strengthened capacity for environmental protection and sustainable use of common natural resources, through investments in green infrastructure, Improving the capacity for joint response in case of fires, floods and other emergency situations; Increasing the attractiveness of tourism through the restoration of cultural heritage sites; Enhanced cooperation in a network for sustainable development of tourism; Improving the conditions for business development; Increasing the capacity of the public and private sectors for business development by promoting entrepreneurship and cooperation for the exchange of new ideas, skills and technologies, encouraging the creation of new companies, thereby improving living conditions and above all many friendships and lasting relations between citizens and institutions on both sides of the border.
During the program period 2014-2020, Interreg IPA CBC Programme Bulgaria - North Macedonia with a budget of 19.5 million euros financed 78 projects, 35 investment projects and 43 "soft" projects in the field of environment, tourism and competitiveness, in which 155 partner companies participated organizations on both sides.
The twenty-seven projects, worth more than €7 million, focused on environmental initiatives, including the development of common systems for early warning and disaster management, the creation of infrastructure for natural water retention and protection against floods and fires, the preservation and restoration of transboundary ecosystems and initiatives for the protection and improvement of soil, air and water quality, nature conservation training and others.
The thirty projects, worth more than 8 million euros, focused on tourism, carrying out activities to restore cultural and historical tourist sites, build small infrastructures, create tourism networks and trainings to stimulate tourism, develop web catalogues, films and mobile applications with tourist information.
Twenty one competitiveness projects supported local businesses in their growth and creation of common initiatives.
During the program period 2014-2020, the publications we published on our website were seen by more than 320 thousand visitors, there were more than 700 articles in electronic and print media about our program and projects, and we organized more than 60 events.
In this series of publications called "Explore the cooperation, discover the benefits", we will share the results of the implemented projects and the achievements of the joint efforts of the partners from both sides.
Join us in celebrating the successes of our cross-border collaboration and let's continue to work towards a prosperous future.
