site.btaBurgas Mayor Concerned that Aid under Recovery Plan Reaches Bulgaria's Regions Too Late

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov is happy with the pace at which Bulgaria is obtaining EU aid under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, but he is concerned that the process of bringing the aid to the Bulgarian regions is rather slow. Nikolov calls for greater trust in the local authorities

He was speaking at Tuesday's first regional conference of a new EU-backed BTA project titled Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future, which is taking place in Burgas. The participants are discussing the prospects and strategies for the development of Bulgaria's South East Region, the opportunities for the local economy and community offered by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the cohesion policy for the countries of Southeast Europe during the new programming period (2021-2027).

Nikolov noted that nothing seems to be happening in the new programming period. "We have wasted these two years," he said. He urged the central authorities to view municipalities as partners, not as a test field for EU policies.

The aim of the project Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future is to provide information to the general public and to promote an open dialogue on cohesion policy, to show its results at local level and the role in implementing the political priorities of the European Union.