Interreg V-A Romania – Bulgaria 2014 – 2020 is a cross-border cooperation program co-financed by the European Union with funds from the European Regional Development Fund.
The strategic objective of the program for the period focuses on thematic areas of the Europe 2020 Strategy, related to climate change, risk prevention and management, preservation and protection of the environment, promotion of resource efficiency, sustainable transport, promotion of employment and work force mobility, increasing institutional capacity by promoting cooperation between citizens and institutions.
The regions it covers are 7 counties in Romania (Constanța, Dolj, Olt, Teleorman, Giurgiu, Călărași, Mehedinți) and 8 districts in Bulgaria (Vidin, Vratsa, Montana, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, Silistra, Dobrich).
The total budget is 258,504,126 euro, of which the funds from the European Regional Development Fund amount to 215,745,513 euro. The projects are funded as follows: 85% ERDF, 13% national co – financing from the two partner countries (Bulgaria and Romania) and 2% own contribution.
The selected thematic objectives are formulated in five priority axes: “Well-connected region”, “Green region”, “Safe region”, “Qualified and inclusive region” and “Efficient region”, which meet the needs and challenges of the cross-border region.
Beneficiaries can be national, regional and local authorities to public organizations, which is a prerequisite for increasing the knowledge and learning of good practices by Bulgarian organizations in order to improve their regional and local development policies.