Sixth Stakeholders Meeting in Bulgaria under the “Coop4RURALGov” project
The sixth stakeholders meeting within the Coop4RuralGov project “Rural Proofing. Cooperation for better sparsely populated rural, coastal and mountain focused governance”, co-funded by the Interreg Europe Programme 2021-2027, was organized by the Bulgarian partner, Association Centre for Sustainability and Economic Growth (CSEG), on the 11th of February 2026 in the conference hall of Hotel Domaine, Peshtera, Bulgaria, involving Bulgarian stakeholders at local and regional level. These were: representatives from the administration of Bratsigovo, the social department of Peshtera Municipality, the energy and environmental agency REAP, the SMEs association (NEST), some local NGOs, and several educational administrations. Most of these organisations comprise high-quality experts in specific sectors such as environmental protection, sustainable energy, entrepreneurship, and policy making.
The main goals of the Coop4RuralGov project were presented, along with some examples of good practices from the partner countries. The concept of “Rural proofing” was also introduced to the participants. This clearly means reviewing policies through the lens of rural areas to ensure they are appropriate for the people who live and work there.
After that, an overview of the strategic document, the Integrated Development Plan of Bratsigovo Municipality 2021–2027, was provided. The participants exchanged views on challenges connected to the policy instrument aimed at strengthening the capacity of local authorities to develop sustainable policies and to integrate regional impact assessment as a regular element of decision-making by officials, as well as in policies, programmes, and initiatives adopted by legislative bodies in sparsely populated rural, coastal, and mountainous areas. In addition, discussions addressed the development and promotion of local resources and the active involvement of local communities in these processes.
The event concluded with a debate on potential good practices from different partner countries that can be implemented in Bulgaria to improve the sustainable development of rural regions.
Presentation of the event and good practices from different partner regions
