The southwestern Bulgarian municipalities of Blagoevgrad, Gotse Delchev, and Petrich will receive nearly BGN 80 M for the implementation of integrated plans for urban development under operational program Regions in Growth 2014-2020.

Blagoevgrad will receive the largest portion of funding for tackling the high concentration of economic, natural and social problems, a total of BGN 44 M, while Gotse Delchev and Petrich will get BGN 19 M and BGN 17 M, respectively, according to the Bulgarian National Radio.

The integrated plans for urban regeneration and development of the three municipalities envisage measures to increase the energy efficiency of residential and administrative buildings, to improve living conditions by upgrading the physical environment in cities, to restore the economic development zones, to ensure the further development of social services, to bring investments into the municipal educational network, and to boost the efficiency and environmental compatibility of urban transport.

The Managing Authority of operational program Regions in Growth 2014-2020 has already published draft application guidelines for the procedure which should be presented for public consultation by the municipalities in their capacity as beneficiaries.

The grant allocated under the procedure amounts to 95% but in order to be able to absorb it in full, municipal administrations will have to achieve a certain stage of implementation by June 2018.