The Bulgarian-Dutch project “My coast” to be finished
The main goal of the two-year-long project is the creation of a management plan for the integrated development of the Bulgarian seaside.
On the finishing seminar on February 3rd 2009 in the Ministry of regional development and urbanization, the final documents and results from the two-year-long Bulgarian-Dutch project “My Coast” will be discussed. The project is meant to create a management plan for the seaside. Representatives from the Ministry of regional development (major partner of the project) and from the beneficients – the Ministry of transport, the Ministry of environment and waters and the National agency for tourism, the Dutch Ministry of construction, territorial management and environment protection, and experts from the Netherlands and Bulgaria.
The project presents four Black Sea coast plans – for Dobrich, Strandja, Burgas and Varna, and three management plans – a Regional scheme for integrated management of the coast of Dobrich; the management plan for Burgas and the identification of projects for Strandja. The pilot project in Varna was not developed well because of the lack of co-operation between the main beneficients. Instead of that, suggestions were given for the Integrated seaside planning in the frame of the Seaside directive.Another result of the project is the suggestion for Seaside councils – one in each Black Sea region. The seaside councils will watch over the region and counsel the municipalities on the issues of coordination of territorial plans, regional management schemes and regional development plans. The Seaside councils will also improve the balance of the coast and will include government representatives, non-governmental organizations and business representatives.
The project will feature an entirely different approach, based on the Suggestions of the EU for integrated development of the seaside zones. This approach of “open planning” envisions the attraction of interested sides early in every project. This guarantees the participation of the corresponding sides on all levels – government, local authorities, business and citizen organizations. The attraction of the interested sides early in the planning stages makes them co-owners of the end product and ensures high quality strategies.