At the end of November 2025, a series of specialised training sessions took place in Niš, Republic of Serbia, bringing together Bulgarian and Serbian firefighters around a shared goal – improving preparedness for tunnel operations.
Министерството на регионалното развитие и благоустройството
с адрес: гр. София, ул. „Св. Св. Кирил и Методий” 17-19,
тел. 02/9405 564
Sometimes, the most important safety measures are not complex. They simply need to reach the people who need them most.
With age, everyday life changes – movements become slower, reactions take more time, and sometimes even a seemingly small risk goes unnoticed. This makes situations such as fires more difficult and more dangerous.
In an emergency, there is no time to think for long. You act.
And sometimes, the first people to do so are not professional teams, but volunteers.
That is why their preparation is not a formality.
In March and early April 2026, three groups of volunteers – a total of 60 participants – went through training sessions in Montana. The trainings are part of the strategic project “RESPONSE”, funded with over €7.2 million under the Interreg VI-A IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2021–2027.
Search and rescue operations in mountainous terrain leave no room for hesitation.
The environment is demanding, conditions change quickly, and decisions must be taken on the spot.
This is exactly what teams from Bulgaria and Serbia are preparing for within the strategic project “RESPONSE”, funded under the Interreg VI-A IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2021–2027.
The Interreg VI-A IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2021–2027 offers an opportunity for a young volunteer to join the Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) initiative.
The initiative is addressed to young people aged 18 to 30 and aims to engage volunteers in promoting the results of territorial cooperation programmes, as well as in telling the stories behind the implemented projects.
One of the major challenges in the cross-border region between Bulgaria and Serbia is the response to disasters – situations that pose risks to people, cause significant damage, and require fast and well-coordinated action.
When a disaster occurs, response time is measured in seconds, and preparation does not begin at the moment of crisis. It starts much earlier – with training, coordination, and work in the field.
Beneficiaries from the Bulgaria-Türkiye, Bulgaria-Serbia and Bulgaria-North Macedonia programme completed specialised online trainings dedicated to communication and visibility measures. The initiative aimed to strengthen their capacity to communicate project implementation effectively and in line with EU requirements. It provided a comprehensive overview of regulatory framework, the rules for application of different visual elements, the architecture of communication activities and practical examples.
What are the real needs of the border regions and where should support be directed in the coming years? These were the key questions that guided the discussions during the first regional consultations for the preparation of the new Interreg Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2028–2034, held in Vidin (25 February) and Kyustendil (6 March).
On 31 March 2026, the deadline for submitting applications under the Second Call for project proposals for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under the Interreg VI-A Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2021–2027 came to a close.