Urgent reform of Bulgaria's planning districts is needed, local authorities insist.The current regionalization shows increasing economic imbalances in terms of EU grant assistance. The problem is particularly severe in the Southwestern region, which includes Sofia city. According to the EU cohesion rules, when a region's GDP per capita reaches 100% of the EU average, the regions receive 30% co-financing for EU programs.
In the Southwestern region, due to Sofia's indicators, the coverage is 100%. Transitional regions, with a GDP between 75% and 100% of the EU average, receive 60% grant aid, while underdeveloped regions receive 85%. In Sofia city, the GDP per capita is close to 130% of the EU average, which affects the neighboring districts – Sofia District, Pernik, Kyustendil and Blagoevgrad, where the coverage is between 54% and 31%. The bundling of these districts with the capital city limits their access to EU funds.
Cooperation between Bulgaria and China in the field of agriculture and food is very active and is constantly expanding. This was stated at a meeting in Sofia between Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Lozana Vasileva and Wan Lejun, Chief Animal..
Bulgaria is making good progress toward joining the Eurozone, as inflation is decreasing towards the threshold set by the criteria, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Odile Renaud-Basso said in an interview with BTA. The..
Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport has been working for years to develop Corridor No. 8, connecting the Adriatic with the Black Sea through Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria. Of the 1,220 km of railway line along the corridor, 747 km are on the..
Natural gas prices are expected to fall by about 14% from current levels, Bulgargaz CEO Veselin Sinabov told a public meeting of the Energy and Water..
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