EUR 6.9 million will be invested in the border region between Bulgariaand Macedonia. This was announced by the press center of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. The funds are earmarked to finance projects under the second call for proposals under the Interreg - IPA Program for cross-border cooperation between the two countries with the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works managing authority.
 
Projects are being selected under the three priority axes of the programme - Environment, Tourism and Competitiveness, with application entirely electronic. The term is 11 May 2018.

The overall objective of the Programme is to strengthen cross-border cooperation between people and institutions in the region. This will contribute to jointly addressing common challenges and exploiting the untapped potential for cross-border development and resource efficiency. It aims to increase the capacity of local and regional authorities to develop and implement joint projects, the Regional Ministry said.
 
Eligible for funding will be projects from the cross-border region, including the Kyustendil and Blagoevgrad regions in Bulgaria, as well as the Northeastern, Eastern and Southeastern regions of Macedonia.

Regional tourist associations, non-governmental organizations, associations of protected areas, foundations, chambers of commerce, business associations or clusters, educational and social institutions, research institutes, development agencies, central and regional offices and structures may submit proposals for the invitation, as well as state institutions or administrations, museums, libraries, community centers, etc.