Admissions to the intervention will start by the end of 2024.
Each municipality from rural area will have a guaranteed budget for the intervention from the Strategic Plan (SP), which will be launched by the end of 2024. This was said by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Georgi Tahov, during a meeting with representatives of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NSORB) in connection with the upcoming reception for the intervention to improve municipal infrastructure. The meeting was also attended by: Deputy Minister Dr. Lozana Vasileva, experts from the MOH and the State Fund “Agriculture”.
The budget for the intervention “Investments in basic services and small-scale infrastructure in rural areas” is 1 billion. leva. “This is fresh money that will improve the quality of life in small settlements, will stimulate their economic, social and cultural development”, said the minister and specified that the funds were distributed in the form of guaranteed budgets for each of the 215 municipalities on the territory of rural areas of the country.
The budgets are determined in accordance with the Methodology approved by the Monitoring Committee, prepared in accordance with objective and non-discriminatory criteria, based on official statistical data for the country. The aim is to direct the assistance both to the poorer and more populous areas, and to stimulate the development of the areas with a predominant population of working age.
The participants in the meeting discussed the prepared draft of the Application Guidelines, which include the permissible activities under the intervention – construction and renovation of road and public infrastructure, provision of reliable water supply, increase of energy efficiency in municipal buildings, reconstruction of schools and kindergartens, support to preserve cultural heritage in rural areas, and improve the appearance of small towns, by means of investments in public green areas, parks and gardens.
Deputy Minister Vasileva emphasized that in the upcoming reception the Governing Body of the Strategic Plan for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas 2023-2027. has reduced the administrative burden and optimized procedures have been introduced that will facilitate municipalities both in submitting project proposals and in their implementation.
The representatives of NSORB thanked the team of the Ministry of Health for the good dialogue.
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