Contract Award Ceremony for the Strategic Project under the Interreg IPA Bulgaria-Türkiye Programme has been Conducted

The grant contract for the project named “Cross-border Regions Collaborate for Blue Growth” to be financed under the third call for proposals of the IPA Bulgaria-Türkiye Cross-border Cooperation Programme, for which Directorate for EU Affairs acts as the National Authority, has been awarded to the beneficiaries with an online ceremony.

Turkish beneficiaries Trakya University and Edirne High School as well as the Bulgarian Beneficiaries Burgas Prof. D-r. Asen Zlatarov University and Burgas Acad. N. D. Zelinskii Professional School of Chemical Technology were represented at the award ceremony of the project, which aims to strengthen the technical and intellectual infrastructure for the effective management of water bodies in the Trace region.

Director for EU Affairs and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, Deputy Minister of Bulgarian Ministry for Regional Development and Public Works Ms. Denitsa Nikolova, and Gilles Kittel each gave a speech during the award ceremony, congratulating the beneficiaries and informing on the expected benefits of the project.

With a budget of 2.340,588 Euros and an implementation period of 24 months, the strategic project envisages establishment of commonly used water quality labs and research centers working on water ecosystems on both sides of the border, undertaking analysis for the determination of water quality in the coasts and rivers of the region, and organization of various trainings for students and academics.