Bulgaria and Greece will pool efforts together to bring the ancient Thracian sanctuary of Perperikon to new life.

A project envisioning the modification of the fortress, situated in the heart of the Rhodopes, into a centre of cultural tourism in South Eastern Europe was approved within the cross-border cooperation program INTERREG-III between the two countries.

Another seven Bulgarian projects were given the green light for EU financing after consideration in the Joint Bulgarian-Greek Steering Committee.

The total cost of projects as proposed by the Bulgarian side stands at EUR 25.5 M. They include also infrastructure reconstruction, road rehabilitation, environment initiatives, and human resources enhancement.

There is also a project for monitoring and forecasting of floods within the basins of cross-border Maritsa river.

If finally approved, EU Phare will allot EUR 20 M for realising the projects, and the rest of EUR 5 M will be national co-financing.