Twinning Bulgaria – The Positive Conclusion of the Project

05/12/2006 - On October 23rd, the Twinning Bulgaria project “Preparing MRDPW’s central and regional structures for managing future ERDF-type programs and projects” was brought to a close.. Formez was the lead structure in the partnership together with the regions of Basilicata, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna and Lazio as well as Ervet, Informest, Sviluppo Italia Basilicata, Ireland and the UK Prime Minister’s Office. During the twenty months of intensive work, around 90 experts carried out approximately250 missions as well as dedicating over a thousand days  to training, on the spot secondment, counselling and technical assistance for the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW), the regional departments who will play the role of Intermediary Bodies as well as the main institutional and socio-economic stakeholders at local level who showed interest in the process of the management of Structural Funds.
The project which is divided into 6 Components (1- Strengthening the Managing Authority 2- Control; 6- Training) and further sub-divided into 20 activities, was organized as such: 3 study visits to Italy and 1-Planning; 3-Implementation; 4-Monitoring and Evaluation; 5-Financial Management together with Ireland, had the main objective to build the MRDPW administrative capacity as future MA of the OP Regional Development (co-financed by the EFRD) in order to create, adopt and implement strategies, tools, procedures and organizational set-ups to allow for the efficient planning, management, monitoring and evaluation of socio-economic cohesion projects and interventions.
Considering the 2007/2013 planning period which is approaching and the Community regulations used to optimize the assistance provided, this very demanding objective was achieved with great satisfaction by the project team and with great appreciation from the beneficiaries.
The final conference held in Sofia on October 13th, was an occasion for Ms Iskra Mihailova, the Deputy Minister for Regional Development, to express her satisfaction and gratitude for the work carried out and the consolidation of collaboration where Italy plays a more and more important role in support of the process of institutional capacity building. There is also the consciousness that the coming years will be fundamental for Bulgaria to face the “challenge” of EU accession which will officially commence on January 1st 2007. The positive outcome of the Twinning SPP 02 decisively contributed to broaden the activities for the benefit of other Managing Authorities when and wherever possible..