The 2014–2020 Programming Period of the Interreg-IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme has officially concluded. The European Commission accepted the final implementation report, thereby concluding the period during which organisations from Bulgaria and Serbia worked together on the development of the cross-border region.
The Programme supported investments and joint initiatives in the fields of tourism, youth, and the environment with more than EUR 35.3 million. There was great interest. A total of 623 project proposals were submitted under two calls for proposals. A total of 106 projects were successfully completed, in which more than 200 partner organisations from Bulgaria and Serbia participated.
Many results are visible even today. In the field of tourism, there were 46 projects: 19 cultural-historical tourist sites have been renovated or rehabilitated, while facilities and access to tourist attractions have been improved at 22 locations. Among them are the early Christian basilica Castra ad Montanesium in Montana, Bulgaria, and the medieval fortress Kale in Pirot, Serbia. Tourist attractions have also gained new ways to tell their stories, ranging from films and mobile applications to virtual guides for the Baba Vida fortress in Vidin, Bulgaria, and the Kulina archaeological site in Merošina, Serbia.
The second part of the Programme opened up opportunities for youth. Thirty projects were related to education, training, professional development, and entrepreneurship. A total of 19 facilities for training, information and youth activities were created or improved, while youth from both countries developed entrepreneurial skills, collaborated with small enterprises and turned their ideas into business models.
Joint efforts were also directed toward environmental protection and preparedness for responding to emergency situations. Through 30 projects, Bulgarian and Serbian partners developed early warning and information systems, provided specialised equipment for responding to fires and floods, established joint procedures, and organised practical training sessions in which 741 citizens participated.
Following the completion of the programming period, what remains are renovated facilities, new equipment and tourism products, as well as strong connections between people and organisations on both sides of the border, along with the experience of working together on challenges that know no borders.
