in regions near the Danube agreed to set up a body to improve co-operation
on issues related to the river. On July 4, Romania complained
of a pollution incident, blaming Serbia.
Photo: Svetoslav Stoyanov
On June 29, the regional governors of Rousse, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Montana, Pleven and Silistra signed a declaration on the creation of a consultative council on Danube-related issues, reported Rousse news website Ruse.bg.
The event was a part of the celebration of International Danube Day, which was organised by the regional Rousse administration.
The consultative council will plan and co-ordinate policies and joint projects by regions in Bulgaria along the bank of the Danube river. German ambassador to Bulgaria Michael Geier, and the head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, Michael Humphreys, were present at the event.
The idea to set up the council came from Rousse regional governor Maria Dimova. At the ceremony, Dimova said that the consultative body would be a guarantee that Danube-related problems and priorities were dealt with timeously in all Danube regions. The council would enable policies on the Danube to be optimised in Bulgaria, Dimova said.
The regions near the river will help each other during crisis situations, as well as in regard to river transport and infrastructure, culture and tourism. They are to work together in distributing funds provided by the EU Structural and Cohesion funds.
I embrace your extremely good initiative on the creation of a consultative council on Danube-related issues, Humphreys said during the ceremony. The foundation of this cross-regional body is an example of the application in Bulgaria of European good practice, he said.
Dimova said that the founding of the consultative council would allow Bulgarian Danube regions to make efficient use of what the Danube offers and to participate actively in the absorption of EU funds. Especially, these funds could be used to build a logistics centre in Rousse.
Bulgaria is working together with Austria on inter-modal transport. The upcoming concession of Rousse Airport will open opportunities for low-cost flights to Central and Western Europe. In relation to this, Humphreys said he would co-operate in the implementation of Rousses priority transport projects.
Dimova said that Rousses regional administration had successfully put forward a project entitled Construction of co-generation from biomass, approved by the Kozloduy international fund to receive grant financing of 1.5 million euro. The project is the first of its kind in Bulgaria. Straw re-processing will produce a type of heating gas which will be used to produce electricity.
Humphreys, who is to visit Rousse again in October, said that good relations between national and local authorities were very important for effective use of EU funds. He said that Rousse was a great example of how well state and local authorities could co-operate.
Rousse mayor Bozhidar Yotov, who attended the event, said that the National Strategic Reference Framework would give municipalities the opportunity to improve quality of life and reach the level of development of other European regions. Yotov said that it was important for local authorities to prepare good quality projects in order to best take advantage of EU funds.
Meanwhile, Ruse.bg reported on June 20 that Rousse was becoming increasingly attractive to UK people and companies. This was one of the main conclusions during a meeting between Dimova and Nick Leake, deputy head of the British embassy in Sofia, when Leake visited Rousse for the first time a few weeks ago.
Dimova briefed Leake on the geographical and social-economical characteristics of the region. She highlighted the trans-border co-operation between Rousse and Gyurgevo (Romania) and the prospects for the further development of this co-operation in the context of Bulgaria and Romania now being members of the EU.
The traffic on the Danube bridge that connects the two countries has increased by nearly four times since January 1. This was because of the new system of one-stop control, Dimova said. She told Leake that the planned concession of Rousse Airport would turn the town into a modern transport-logistics centre capable of dealing with all types of transport.
Dimova and Leak also discussed the growing number of British citizens who are buying property in the Rousse region. Leake said that interest was mainly in the smaller places that were unpolluted and unspoilt and featured environmental places of interest.
Dimova briefed Leake on already existing co-operation between Rousse and the county of Essex in England. Work is being done on a proposal to set up a database to exchange information between the two regions. The project will look for finance from the Regional Development operational programme, as well as from the European programmes for territorial co-operation.
Leake was reported to be delighted with plans for such cross-regional collaboration and said that the British embassy would increase its partnership with the Rousse region.
Dimova was involved in another recent diplomatic visit. On July 3, she had a meeting in Varna with Ukrainian consul Vladimir Pasichnik. The meeting was planned as an opportunity for Pasichnik to learn more about the Rousse region. The two discussed prospects for improved partnership between Rousse and the Ukrainian city of Odessa.
A partnership agreement was signed by the regional governors of the two cities on June 2. The agreement aims to develop good economic, social and cultural relations.
