Project “Bulgarian Border Dialogue” v.2

Building Bridges: Bulgaria and Norway in Dialogue for the Future of Regional Development

At the end of February 2025, a team from the Directorate for Territorial Cooperation at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria visited the Kingdom of Norway as part of the predefined project “Bulgarian Cross-Border Dialogue – Version 2.”

In the heart of the Arctic – in Kirkenes and Tromsø – we met inspiring partners united by a shared goal: sustainable, green, and connected regional development beyond borders and geography.

We exchanged experience, ideas, and good practices on topics such as the green transition, digital innovation, and support for local economies. Our efforts met those of Norwegian institutions and communities, showing how vision and action go hand in hand.

This working visit was more than a meeting – it marked a new starting point for even closer cooperation, inspired by common challenges and shared solutions.

Inspired by our visit to Norway and our meeting with PRONEO, one of the leading innovation organizations that supports innovative business models in the Trøndelag region, we invited our Norwegian partners to Bulgaria to introduce them to Bulgarian projects developed by small, medium, and large enterprises in the fields of green industry, green transition, low-emission production, eco-friendly entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, and more.

With the help of Innovation Norway in Bulgaria, we visited the companies Nasekomo AD, Medina Ltd., and MJ Dairies Ltd., which presented their projects - "Scaling up the insect industry green impact through the deployment of industrial insect technology," "Green, innovative production of tyres for material handling vehicles," and "Implementation of innovative green technology in the company MJ Dairies Ltd." Trakia University in Stara Zagora welcomed us to showcase the SMEOrigin project, funded by the INTERREG EUROPE Programme, and their aquaponics centre.

Our fruitful meetings have laid the foundation for future and long-term partnerships.

Our third study visit under the project was held in March in Finland. Many thanks to our hosts for the fruitful meetings!

Experience sharing bilateral workshop with Project Promoters and Project, April 16, 2024, Sofia, Bulgaria

As we look back on the workshop held on April 16, we’re filled with gratitude for the vibrant exchange of ideas and experiences. It was a remarkable opportunity to delve into Bulgaria's Business Development Innovation and SMEs Programme.

The sessions on AI in business, ESG reporting, stress management, and communication training were enlightening.

We hope everyone who attended found it as enriching as we did. Here’s to future collaborations and breakthroughs!

For the second time, our team visited the Kingdom of Norway to exchange experiences and ideas in the field of regional policy and cross-border cooperation.

Three days filled with wonderful people, interesting experiences, and job satisfaction!

We discussed the challenges, trends, and peculiarities of regional development policies. We explored the programs and tools applied in both countries to transform regions into attractive places to live.

Our conversations also touched on innovations in the public sector, services in small municipalities, and the role of rural areas in the green sector. Collaborative initiatives and projects under the INTERREG programs in the Far North region were also part of our discussions and meetings.

Thanks to our colleagues at the Norwegian Barents Secretariat for their warm welcome and fruitful collaboration!
See you soon!

We have our first study visit and meeting with our partner Norwegian Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes, Norway today.

❓ Познавате ли трансграничните програми между България и съседните й страни Сърбия, Република Северна Македония и Турция❓
🇧🇬 🇷🇸 http://www.ipacbc-bgrs.eu
🇧🇬 🇲🇰 http://www.ipa-cbc-007.eu
🇧🇬 🇹🇷 http://www.ipacbc-bgtr.eu

Ние работим за подобряване на визуализацията на данните на уебсайтовете на програмите.
🎯 За да отговорим адекватно на вашите нужди, като потребители на информацията в сайтовете, бихме искали да разберем как да представим информацията по най-ефективния за вас начин.

Вашето мнение е важно за нас ❗️❗️
Анкетата Визуализация - Данни за трансграничното сътрудничество - Полезни инструменти е тук rb.gy/vdb8os

Няма да ви отнеме повече от 2 минути ❗️ 🙂

❓ Do you know the cross-borders programmes between Bulgaria and its neighbour countries Serbia, Republic of North Macedonia and Turkey?
🇧🇬 🇷🇸 http://www.ipacbc-bgrs.eu
🇧🇬 🇲🇰 http://www.ipa-cbc-007.eu
🇧🇬 🇹🇷 http://www.ipacbc-bgtr.eu

We are working to improve the visualization of data on the programmes' websites. To respond adequately to your needs, as users of the information on the sites, we would like to find out how to present the information in the most effective way for you. 🎯

❗️❗️ Your say is important to us!
Visualization - Cross-border cooperation data - Useful tools – Survey is here rb.gy/vdb8os

It would not take you more than 2 minutes❗️🙂
❓❓

⁉️ Did you know that 🇮🇸 , 🇱🇮 and 🇳🇴 have already funded 3 267 projects in the 2014-2021 funding period through the ?

Find more exciting data in our new Data and results portal 🔗 https://data.eeagrants.org/2014-2021/

Utenriksdepartementet (Norge) EØS-midlene Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs Embassy of Iceland in Brussels - Icelandic Mission to the EU