The consultation process held in the Bulgarian cities of Burgas, Haskovo, and Smolyan continued with a meeting in Türkiye, held in Edirne. The meeting brought together a wide range of representatives from public institutions and organisations, as well as relevant stakeholders operating at local and regional levels.

During the roundtable sessions, participants discussed in detail the region’s key needs, untapped potential, and the areas where cross-border cooperation could provide the greatest added value. The views, recommendations, and assessments shared throughout the sessions were compiled and thoroughly reviewed at the end of the meeting. The common conclusions and recommendations that emerged from these discussions were recorded as important inputs that will contribute to shaping the priorities of the next programming period. Participants also agreed on the need to make more effective use of the opportunities offered by cross-border cooperation for regional development, economic integration, and sustainable growth.

The meeting was organised with the aim of gathering the views and contributions of all regional stakeholders to support the definition of the Programme’s priorities for the 2028–2034 period and the preparation of the draft programme documents. This process is intended to ensure that regional needs and expectations are accurately and comprehensively reflected in the programme documents and that available financial resources are used as effectively as possible. In addition, several survey activities are planned to generate data that will feed into the programme documents.

Upon completion of the consultation process, the final report will serve as a guiding document for the Interreg IPA Bulgaria–Türkiye Programme. The report will also be shared with the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme, in which both Türkiye and Bulgaria participate, the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme, in which Türkiye participates, and the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, in which Bulgaria participates.