At an official event on January 25, in its new multifunctional space for culture and art in the capital - The Purgatory/Cleansing, the Sustainable Cities Fund (SCF) presented the achievements across sectors within the first cycle of investment of the Urban Development Funds in Sofia and Southern Bulgaria. Successfully implemented projects were showcased, and the best ones were awarded in five categories: Urban Environment, Business and Industrial Zones, Cultural Infrastructure, Green Projects, and Tourism and Cultural Heritage.
Pavel Lisev, Executive Director of the Fund of Funds, presented the award in the Urban Environment category. The project by Sofia Properties JSC for the "Construction of a park and thermo-mineral entertainment-recreational complex" was honored for its integrated and sustainable approach in the development of previous projects under the JESSICA initiative, related to the creation of the first park in the center of Sofia - Vazrazhdane Park. The event was attended by experts from the Managing Authority of the OP "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020 and representatives of financing institutions, as well as municipal representatives.
Deputy Minister of Innovations and Growth, Martin Gikov, attended the event and presented the "Urban Development" award to the mayor of Kazanlak municipality, Galina Stoyanova.
The Sustainable Cities Fund has supported nearly BGN 330 million in eligible projects for urban development over the past five years, fully engaging the available resources in eligible projects for public and private end recipients. Nearly 60% of the resources are European funds provided by the Operational Programme "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020, including co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund.
"The results achieved so far through the instruments of the 2014-2020 period are visible and strategically significant in their importance and social impact. Many goals and achievements lie ahead for further development," said Pavel Lisev during the award ceremony, emphasizing that with the support of the three Urban Development Funds for Sofia, Northern and Southern Bulgaria, over 115 projects have been implemented with a total value of funding, public and private resources exceeding BGN 538 million. "The resources and responsibility for the new programming period are also ambitious - BGN 460 million are allocated for financial instruments and grants, which should be invested by the end of 2029, and over BGN 170 million are the expected recovered public funds for reinvestment by 2031 under the Operational Programme 'Regions in Growth'," added Pavel Lisev.
Among the awarded projects that contributed to the development of cities and were funded by the SCF were:
- The new vision and improvement of the "Russian Market" area, including the expansion of Captain Petko Voyvoda Street in Stara Zagora.
- The Center for Contemporary Art and Library of Burgas Municipality recently awarded the prestigious European Regiostars award.
- Construction of a production building for electronics with storage and administrative-residential part of Teletek Electronics JSC in Nadezhda district, Sofia.
- Construction of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Sofia and eligible cities in Southern Bulgaria by Eldrive Charging JSC.
- The World of the Thracians project, aimed at ensuring integrated access to Thracian cultural heritage in the Valley of the Kings, was awarded as the winner in the "Tourism and Cultural Heritage" sector.
- The World of the Thracians project, aimed at ensuring integrated access to Thracian cultural heritage in Kazanlak, was awarded as the winner in the "Tourism and Cultural Heritage" sector.
