Projects

The programming of the OP “Environment” for 2014-2020 is a priority of the European Union – 2020. Greater projects for a green and competitive economy in the field of climate and energy are being promoted. It encourages the development of eco-innovation and supports the economical use of resources. For the new programming period, the EU will focus on the energy efficiency of housing. The priority OP 2014-2020 includes investments for infrastructure projects in the Water sector, focusing on water and sewerage infrastructure and the efficiency of large combustion plants. Work will be done to modernize city heating systems to make them more environmentally friendly. There is currently a particle pollution problem in 30 cities in Bulgaria. European funding will also be sought to address this problem.

Both in the “Trasport” OP and OP “Regional Development” the road construction will be developed as a priority. Under the Regional Development OP 2014-2020, the territorial impact of the Operational Program is intensified. Specific territorial characteristics of the regions’ development, increased value added from the operational program and enhanced use of the financial engineering instrument in urban areas – JESSICA, are taken into account. It will strengthen the role of regional and local structures in formulating and implementing regional priorities and establishing a regional identity, concentrating resources and using an integrated approach in cities and urban areas. The aim is to achieve a Europe 2020 strategy, focusing investments on a limited number of priority areas, a more strategic approach, going towards closer cooperation with other EU Member States with similar geographic features and state governance in the area of ​​Structural Fund management.

Funding under Operational Program “Transport” (2014-2020). is € 4 billion. The Strategy for Development of the Transport System of the Republic of Bulgaria up to 2020 includes the development of the Priority Pan-European Corridors:

transport corridor IV Vidin – Sofia – Kulata and VII river Danube
Corridor X – Branch C linking Belgrade – Nis – Sofia
Corridor IV Plovdiv – Svilengrad – Istanbul – TRACECA
Corridor VIII Durres – Tirana – Skopje – Sofia – Plovdiv – Burgas / Varna
IX Bucharest – Rousse – Dimitrovgrad – Alexandroupolis
Motorways of the Sea – connections between Varna and Burgas ports with the ports of Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Turkey and the Black Sea – Mediterranean link.
railway transport – modernization of many railway connections on the territory of the country.
Under the Transport Program 2014-2020 an intermodal terminal in Plovdiv is also planned. The anticipated effect of the implementation of the priority projects for the development of the railway infrastructure will be achieved by reaching the speed of the trains up to 160 km / h, full electrification of the railway lines along the main directions, introduction of European traffic management systems ERTMS / ETCS and GSM-R trains; reducing rail travel times by over 40%, etc.

The priorities of the Human Resources OP in the 2014-2020 programming period are determined by the Europe 2020 objectives. In this context, work will be concentrated on measures to acquire new knowledge and skills, training and qualification of human resources, lifelong learning. The Europe 2020 targets are for 75% employment among the 20-64-year-old population with the active participation of older and low-skilled workers. Achieving an economy with high levels of employment that creates conditions for social and territorial cohesion, both within the European Union and in Bulgaria, is possible through the implementation of the so-called interdependent goals: Better education and qualifications improve the prerequisites for labor market implementation and higher employment rates help to reduce poverty, which will be underpinned by the priorities of the Human Resources OP in the period.

One of the EU’s top goals, which will also be reflected in Member States’ operational programs, will be to reduce the number of 20 million people at risk of poverty. To achieve this goal, the EC proposes the European Platform Against Poverty initiative, aimed at economic, social and territorial cohesion, in order to enable the poor and the socially excluded to take an active role in society. In the next programming period, the OP “Human Resources” will also focus on measures that are priorities for the private sector.

To overcome its economic development vis-à-vis other Western countries, Bulgaria should concentrate efforts in sectors that create high added value such as information technology, outsourcing, clean technology and biotechnology, as well as in health-related industries. These sectors will be in the focus of OP “Competitiveness” in the next programming period. The emphasis will be on innovation and energy-saving technologies.

The EC is expected to make 20-30% increase in the 2014-2020 program compared to 2007-2013. The next programming period will strengthen the JEREMIE Pop Program as an additional opportunity to finance SMEs through venture capital or guarantee funds. BGN 200 million from the Competitiveness OP dedicated to energy efficiency will be divided into a pool together with EBRD funds and 10 partner banks in Bulgaria. Thus, along with the grant, funds will be provided to co-finance the projects, and the entire process will be managed by the EBRD. The Bank will provide free technical assistance worth 1 million euros.

This is a pilot project for the actual evaluation of projects under operational programs outside the administration. The aim is to maximize the practice of outsourcing of Operational Program Management activities in the next programming period 2014-2020.

By materials by Vladimir Zinoviev