As a member of the European Union, Bulgaria has the right to get funding from the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds. The EU funding programs are directed towards the public, as well as towards the private sector in Bulgaria. For the period 2014-2021 the Bulgarian economy will be provided with € 15 billion from the European Structural and Cohesion Fund, which will serve to the development and modernization of various sectors of the Bulgarian economy and infrastructure, as well as to the funding of the Bulgarian agriculture.
In the same time period Part from these funds - about € 2.9 billion - will be provided by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development in order to be used for the development of agriculture, renewable energy resources, tourism and infrastructure renovation in rural municipalities in Bulgaria.
The seven program sectors in which Bulgaria has access to EU funding are currently:
- Transport
- Environment
- Regional Development
- Human resources
- Competitiveness
- Administrative capacity
- Technical support
- Program for Rural Development
Small and medium-sized companies´ projects can apply for funding in the framework of the following programs:
- Competitiveness - mainly projects for investment in the modernization of industrial facilities, innovation, technical progress, including ISO certification;
- Human resources - Investments projects providing for new jobs, improvement of work efficiency and the quality of training of the operating personnel, as well as increase of the adaptability of workers and better access to the labor market.
- Program for the development of rural areas - investment projects aimed at working in rural areas in the fields of agriculture, tourism, renewable energy sources, etc.