The support provided by the Interreg programmes for the long-term growth of small and medium-sized enterprises was presented during the Fourth Regional Partnership Forum “Connecting 4 Growth”, held on 27 March 2026 in Burgas.
A representative of the Directorate “Management of Territorial Cooperation” at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works presented the role of Interreg in supporting business development in a cross-border context.
The event brought together more than 300 participants and was organised by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency in partnership with the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce.
The forum was opened by the Mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, H.E. Mehmet Sait Uyanık, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Türkiye to the Republic of Bulgaria, Fikret Ince, Chairman of the Türkiye–Bulgaria Business Council at the Foreign Economic Relations Board and founder of the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Burhan Nemutlu, Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Viktor Gugushev, Chairman of the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce.
The contribution of the Interreg programmes to the development of cross-border business ecosystems was highlighted during the first panel, “Growth Instruments”. Alongside the Interreg representative in Bulgaria, the panel featured the Executive Directors of the Bulgarian Investment Agency, the Employment Agency, and the accelerator “Future Unicorns”, as well as a representative of the Turkish National Authority under the Interreg VI-A Bulgaria–Türkiye Programme.
Each of the panelists presented programmes and instruments addressing the needs of SMEs for growth, integration into regional and global value chains, and participation in dynamic networks of clients and suppliers. It was emphasised that while national programmes mainly focus on enhancing overall competitiveness, Interreg support is oriented towards long-term development through partnerships, cross-border cooperation and internationalisation.
