There Has Been Increase of European Funds Since 2007, Says Expert at Regional Information Center in Vidin

Tsvetomir Tsenkov, Expert at the Regional Information Centre in Vidin, spoke during the regional conference Europe in the Balkans: Common Future on Tuesday, saying that the two programming periods saw an increase of EU funds, invested in various infrastructure, education, ecology, and economy project in the Vidin region.

Tsenkov noted that beneficiaries’ activity increased as well. “For the entire Vidin region for the 2007 – 2013 period, we have 127 projects for 67 beneficiaries. Their total value is nearly BGN 90 million. For the 2014-2020 programming period, there were 501 contracts with a total value of over BGN 223 million”, he explained, summarizing that the activity has increased both by the municipalities, which are leading in terms of number of contracts, as well as by the business, the non-governmental sector and the educational sector.

Tsenkov pointed out that one of the projects with great interest in Vidin region concerns air quality and the replacement of old heating devices with newer and more ecological ones.

The BTA project Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future is supported by the European Commission. It aims to foster a better understanding of the role of cohesion policy in the Balkans; to raise awareness of projects funded by the EU through the Cohesion Funds; promote dialogue on the results of the projects at local level and boost civic participation in issues related to cohesion policy.