News

Stakeholders of the Bulgaria-Türkiye programme topped tourism as the main priority for the next programming period. Results are harvested during a post-2027 consultation in response to DG Regio’s call for Interreg programs to engage the wider public in setting priorities for the next period and gather new perspectives on how to (re)structure Interreg more effectively to strengthen EU territorial cooperation. 

The research laboratories of Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov University in Burgas and Trakya University in Edirne are renovated and equipped with cutting-edge devices. These are only part of the outcomes of the strategic project of the Bulgaria-Türkiye programme 2014-2020 “BLUE GROWTH COLLABs project”. The initiative is powered with more than EUR 3.3 million (European and national co-funding) by the cross-border cooperation programme. The results of the project were announced on a closing conference at Trakya University in Edirne.

A total of 7 projects in the reserve lists will be backed with 3.5 million EUR by the Interreg Bulgaria-Türkiye programme. These reserve projects from Priority 1 and 2 will receive grants following the decision of the Monitoring Committee to give green light for overcontracting of up to 15% of the programme budget. Five of the projects are of SMEs that will boost energy efficiency and shift to circular economy. The rest two are investments in the tourism and cultural heritage of the cross-border region.

Between April 28 and 30, 2025, the second joint training under the Strategic Project of INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria- Türkiye Programme "Joining for Safer Borders" is taking place in the city of Burgas. The aim of the activity is to further enhance coordination of law enforcement authorities in the cross-border area of both countries in response to internal illegal migration, as well as to exchange experience and best practices in institutional cooperation for implementing operational activities.

The INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria–Türkiye Programme has reached a key milestone in Priority 2 “Integrated Development of the Cross-Border Region” with the Monitoring Committee approval of Full Project Proposals (FPPs) under Call 1. This achievement paves the way for the next important phase - signing subsidy contracts with project partners whose initiatives aim to drive progress of the CB region.

The Managing Authority of the Bulgaria-Türkiye Programme 2021-2027 publishes for public consultations the guidelines for applicants from Priority 2 “Integrated development of the cross-border region”, Strategic objective 2 “Development of better access to services of general interest” of the Territorial Strategy.

More than EUR 6 M will be channeled to 32 small and medium-sized enterprises from the cross-border region of Bulgaria and Türkiye for upscaling energy efficiency and the transition to circular economy. For the first time, the cooperation programme between the two countries provides direct support for the local business.

The Strategy Board (SB) of the Territorial Strategy (TS), part of the Bulgaria-Türkiye Programme, came together on its 6-th meeting in Karnobat, Bulgaria. The forum gathered key representatives from both countries that focused on the progress and future implementation of the TS.

The first training from the Strategic project of the Bulgaria-Türkiye programme took place in Edirne, Türkiye. The project activity was on improving the professional capacity and skills of the staff of the law enforcement departments responsible for inland detected illegal migration in the cross-border region. 

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) prizes 2025 are open to innovative ideas that embody sustainability, inclusivity and beauty. The projects have to be implemented in the EU, in the Western Balkans and Ukraine.  

The Prizes 2025 will be distributed to 22 winners and runners-up in four categories based on the thematic axes of transformation that guide the delivery of the New European Bauhaus: 

    - Reconnecting with nature