Neighbourhood Program 2005 BULGARIA – SERBIA
Small scale projects’ joint fund

European Union’s Neighbourhood Program started in 2003 when the European Commission published the document “A Larger Europe – Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours”. The main aim of the new program, implemented at the external borders of the European Union, is to make an attempt to coordinate the different financial instruments that operate within the now existing legislative and financial framework of the European Union. Its most important goal is to increase the regions’ capacity for effective acquiring and expedient management of the financial assistance that will be provided by the European Union during the program period 2007 – 2013.

Bulgaria – Serbia and Bulgaria – Macedonia are the two border regions, where our country takes part in the implementation of Neighbourhood Program. It started in 2004 when the Mutual program documents defining the regional specific characteristics of socio-economic development was developed. The basic goals and financing priorities have been formulated on the basis of these characteristics.

The Neighbourhood Program BULGARIA – SERBIA aims also at expanding trans-border contacts through activities that focus on the territory and its economy and by strengthening the institutional connections.
The document of the European commission from 11 March 2003, titled “A Larger Europe – Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours” indicates, that “the European Union aims at developing a zone of prosperity and of friendly and neighbourly relations that it will closely collaborate with”
The biggest challenge the new Program will face is the improvement of the coordination between the different financial instruments that operate within the now existing legislative and financial framework of the EU.
Activities of the „people to people” type are extremely beneficial for enforcing the capacity of local communities and non-governmental organizations as a main motor in establishing stable trans-border relations.
The Neighbourhood Program between R. of Bulgaria and R. of Serbia is implemented on the territory of the border regions between the two countries established in conformity of the EC Guidance Note at NUTS III (EUROSTAT) level.