Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Local authorities call for urgent reform of Bulgaria's planning districts

Photo: Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgargaz LNG tender for January and February next year attracts record interest

Bulgargaz has reported record interest in its tender for the supply of LNG to the Alexandroupolis terminal for January and February 2025. All nineteen bidders met the criteria set by the company and have been approved to participate in the next..

published on 11/9/24 2:43 PM
Lukoil Neftochim in Burgas

FT: Russian oil company Lukoil plans to sell its Bulgarian refinery to Qatari-British consortium

The Russian state oil company Lukoil has plans to sell its Bulgarian refinery Neftochim based in Burgas on the Black Sea Coast. It is the largest in the Balkans, writes the Financial Times .  The deal is expected to be announced by the end of..

published on 11/6/24 11:55 AM

Bulgaria and Argentina take new steps in their trade cooperation

Bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Argentina have received a new impetus for development following the visit of an Argentine delegation from the Chaco province to Bulgaria at the beginning of November . High-ranking officials from the..

published on 11/5/24 11:49 AM