The consultation meeting titled “Shaping Cross-Border Cooperation for the Next Decade (2028–2034 and beyond)” was held with the broad participation of representatives from public institutions and organizations, as well as relevant stakeholders operating at local and regional levels.The meeting began with opening remarks by Desislava Georgieva, Director General for Regional Cooperation Management at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria; Serdar Öztürk, Deputy Director General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation at the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye; and Margarita Grantcharska-De Muynck, Programme Manager at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission.

During the “Harvest Report” session, experiences gained and lessons learned from projects implemented in the previous implementation periods were shared. Discussions focused on identifying effective approaches, sustainable results and areas where cross-border cooperation has created tangible added value. In the following sessions, participants were introduced to the anticipated innovations for the 2028–2034 programming period, and strategic discussions were held on potential areas where cooperation could be further strengthened.

Interactive working sessions with the participation of local and regional stakeholders examined the region’s key needs, untapped potentials and priority areas where cross-border cooperation is most needed. Through joint working groups, participants’ views, suggestions and evaluations were compiled and reviewed at the end of the meeting. The outcomes of these discussions were recorded as important inputs that will contribute to determining the priorities of the next programming period. Participants also emphasized the need to make more effective use of the opportunities offered by cross-border cooperation for regional development, economic collaboration and sustainable growth.

The meeting aimed to gather the views of stakeholders in the region in order to determine the priorities for the 2028–2034 period and to support the preparation of draft programme documents. In this way, it is intended to ensure that the needs and priorities of the region are accurately reflected in programme documents and that the available funds are used as effectively as possible. As part of the continuation of this process, a similar consultation meeting is planned to be organized in Türkiye, and a series of surveys will be conducted to collect data for use in the preparation of programme documents. Through these meetings, potential programme beneficiaries, including public institutions, local authorities, civil society organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises, chambers of commerce and professional organizations, as well as educational institutions, will be informed about the draft programme documents and priorities of the new programming period and will be able to contribute to the programming process with their views. At the end of the process, the report prepared based on the outcomes of these consultations will serve as a guiding document for the Interreg IPA Bulgaria–Türkiye Programme and will also be shared with other Interreg programmes involving the two countries, including the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme, the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme, and the Interreg EUROMED Programme

You can also share your ideas with us through this link.