Let's make nature smile again!

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria

Date of latest update: 2025-12-03

Description

Description (EN):

Medgidia and Balchik Municipalities face several common territorial challenges in the environmental field. Some of the key challenges include: decline in biodiversity and insufficient conservation of biodiversity, water pollution and air quality - a problem frequently encountered in the big cities, waste management - still far from being correctly implemented at the local level, infrastructure development - the development of grey infrastructure was a priority of local authorities, to the detriment of green and blue infrastructure, environmental problems - unknown to their true dimension. Medgidia and Balchik used to be important industrial cities during communism period. Accelerated industrial development, without the imposition of strict environmental protection rules, the horizontal expansion of industrial investments, affected large areas of land, irreversibly destroying the local flora and fauna, and the reduction of industrial activity after the fall of communism left behind degraded, unused lands. Even after more than 30 years after the fall of communism, the 2 cities could not cancel the negative effects of industrialization and the rapid expansion of built-up areas to cope with the rapid demographic growth of that period. Medgidia has 40 ha of green area, respectively 9,30 sqm per inhabitant, which is much lower than the minimum threshold imposed by law - 26 sqm / inhabitant. Balchik has parks and gardens some of them poorly maintained. The terrain is flat, the soil is poor, shallow, and stony, and in some places there is no soil layer. There are no bodies of water on the property, except for a natural depression in the terrain, in which rainwater is retained. The vegetation is of local grass species. Starting from these considerations and from the need for sustainable development, sharing the same principles and values of respect for the community, the 2 municipalities have established as a common objective increasing the quality of life of the residents of the Medgidia - Balchik cross-border area by implementing actions to enhance the protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure in urban areas, reducing all forms of pollution. Almost 100,000 people residing in the Medgidia - Balchik cross-border area will have access to over 16 hectares of improved green infrastructure. By investing in green spaces, Balchik proposes the creation of Horizon ecological park, while Medgidia proposes the rehabilitation and modernization of 1 Mai park. The investment in the 1 Mai Park in Medgidia has the potential to represent an essential landmark in the city's urban landscape, being one of the city's most important green spaces. The investment is relevant in the context of a low percentage of green space per inhabitant in the municipality, of the desire to offer residents quality services supporting social cohesion, well-being and health (a continuous objective for the last two FESI programming periods), but also of the accentuation of urban climatic discomfort phenomena. With an area of 81,552 m2, the park benefits from a strategic positioning in the immediate vicinity of the Danube-Black Sea Canal, which represents the main green-blue axis of the locality, constituting a valuable resource for the local community and the surrounding environment. The park will be unique in the area, both through the spectacular architectural and landscape concept, using exclusively environmentally friendly materials, as well as through the numerous points of interest designed to intertwine the need for relaxation, meditation and break from stressful everyday life, with the need to move in the open air, but also with the educational side. Through the involvement and empowerment of the community, various pilot actions and solutions will be implemented jointly with Balchik, all the results of the project being able to be easily taken over, fully or partially replicated by other organizations. The investment in Horizon Ecological Park ecological park will combine the improvement of public welfare with the preservation and enhancement of biological diversity within the boundaries of the settlement. The park will preserve, restore, enrich and present the natural biodiversity and ecosystem characteristic of the particular specific local conditions, while enabling their sustainable use by citizens. The investment proposed in SMILE is part of a larger project that was divided into 2 components submitted for financing under INTERREG VI-a (Medgidia-Dobrich component and Balchik-Medgidia component). Although the 2 components can be implemented separately, their simultaneous financing will contribute much faster to the improvement of the man-nature tandem, will really highlight the originality of the whole concept of the park and the activities, becoming emblematic not only for the community, but also for the financing program. N non eligible expenditures for Pp2 is 1334990.60 euro.

Actual Achievements (EN):

Project staff of Balchik Municipality was appointed with Order 283/19.03.2025. One online meeting of the joint project staff of Balchik Municipality and Medgidia Municipality was held on 29.04.2025. On 14.05.2025, the project opening conference was held in Balchik. Representatives of TAU Medgidia participated together with the implementation team at the event. On this occasion, the project was presented in detail, as well as the investments that will be made in the two municipalities. One face-to-face meeting of the joint project team was held on 14.05.2025, after the launching press conference. Project partners discussed up-coming activities and timeline of procurements within the first reporting period. LP concluded a contract for national cofinancing with Ministry of regional development and public works and received the payment accordingly. Contracts for services have been awarded: CONTRACT 193/08.05.2025 with subject " Information and Publicity ", contractor "BK DESIGN" EOOD. Contract No 199/13.05.2025 with subject “Translation and interpretation services”, contractor “Hino Trans” EOOD. Contract 253/06.06.2025 with subject “Financial Management”, contractor European Institute for Cultural Tourism EUREKA Association. On 05.08.2025, the Municipality of Balchik published in the CAIS EOP a Notice for the award of a public procurement contract with the subject: "Development of a working investment project for the construction of the Ecological Park "Horizont" in the town of Balchik under the Interreg VI A 2021-2027 program. Since during the conduct of the procedure there was a need to significantly change the conditions of the procedure and introduce significant amendments to the initially announced conditions, which lead to a change in the circle of interested parties, it was necessary to terminate the procedure on the following Legal basis: Art. 110, para. 1, item 9 of the Public Procurement Act. Factual basis: the procurement failed to provide for author's supervision, and the attachment of the conceptual design (as part of the documentation), for which a building permit has also been issued, was omitted. In view of the fact that this is an essential element of the contract, the contracting authority considered that its termination was the most appropriate approach in the current factual situation. The contract was re-announced on October 13, 2025. By the end of November 2025, the Municipality of Balchik expects a contract to be concluded with a contractor. During the reporting period, TAU Medgidia carried out the public procurement necessary for the award of the service contract for the development of the technical project that will form the basis for the execution of works for the 1 Mai Park - Balchik component. Following the market study, it resulted that the estimated value of the acquisition allows the award of the contract through the direct purchase procedure. Thus, the service contract no. 107 / 25.04.2025 was signed with the company Drum Pod Invest SRL, having as its object: - development of technical documentation in order to obtain the building permit (DTAC) - development of the Technical Project - technical assistance from the designer during the execution of the works TAU Medgidia provided the technical project designer: one lighting study developed by Vexo Concept & Design and one study on landscape restoration and rehabilitation elaborated by Raichman Studio SRL. These studies are uploaded to Shared folder along with DTAC and technical project. All the permits provided for in the Urban Planning Certificate were obtained for the project. Because the approval obtained for the Urban Planning Certificate from the National Company for the Administration of Navigable Canals did not give the right to issue the building permit until after obtaining a new approval based on the technical project, at this moment the issuance of the new approval of NCANC is awaited in order to issue the building permit. On 17.06.2025, the Minutes of handover of the DTAC and the Technical Project (written part, drawn part, economic parts) were signed between Drum Pod Invest and the Medgidia Municipality. For the differences recorded between the DALI and the technical project, the designer submitted a justification memorandum. The designated team of TAU Medgidia analyzed and approved the technical documentation, elaborating in this regard the Minutes of reception no. 25075 / 20.06.2025. The technical documentation has been verified for all specialties, in accordance with the law, by independent verifiers. The verification reports have been uploaded to Shared folder and also to the partner report 1. . The implementation is deploying according to the project schedule.

Project outputs: Horizon Ecological Park-Balchik and 1 Mai park in Medgidia(EN)
Joint pilot actions for a green future!(EN)
Medgidia - Balchik - crossborder cooperation (EN)

Thematic information

Urban development Soil and air quality Climate change and biodiversity

Priority: (VI-A_Ro-Bu_P2) A greener region

Priority specific objective: RSO2.7. Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 080 Other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the area of preservation and restoration of natural areas with high potential for carbon absorption and storage, e.g. by rewetting of moorlands, the capture of landfill gas

Partners (2)

Lead Partner: Община Балчик

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 934287414

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BG000852544

Address: “21-st September”Sq, 9600 Balchik, Bulgaria

Department address: “21-st September”Sq, 9600 Balchik, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.balchik.bg

Total budget: EUR 1 267 160.41

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 1 013 728.32

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 253 432.09

Contractors:

Name: "BK DESIGN" EOOD
VAT registration or tax identification number: BG200072838
Name: “Hino Trans” EOOD
VAT registration or tax identification number: BG201967245
Name: EICT EUREKA
VAT registration or tax identification number: 124614214
Name: Ivelina Radilova
VAT registration or tax identification number: 179828018

Unitatea Admininstrativ Teritoriala Municipiul Medgidia

Name: Unitatea Admininstrativ Teritoriala Municipiul Medgidia

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 921233542

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 4301456

Address: Decebal no 35, 905600 Medgidia, Romania

Department address: Decebal no 35, 905600 Medgidia, Romania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.primaria-medgidia.ro

Total budget: EUR 2 035 466.62

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 1 628 373.29

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 407 093.33

Contractors:

Name: DRUM POD INVEST SRL
VAT registration or tax identification number: RO16548086

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Medgidia Admininstrative Territorial Unit

Let's make nature smile again!

Partners and Projects info

Balchik Municipality

Let's make nature smile again!

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Let's make nature smile again!

Project acronym: SMILE - Hard

Project ID: ROBG00125

Project start date: 2025-03-18

Project end date: 2028-03-17

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

Urban biodiversity initiatives in Europe (EN) | With cities accounting over 70% of the global carbon emissions it has become essential to incorporate nature-based solutions to reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. The biodiversity projects aim to create green spaces, protect existing habitats and increase biodiversity in urban areas. The significance of urban biodiversity projects lies in the provision of a range of ecosystem services, such as climate regulation, air and water purification, pollination and aesthetic benefits.
The integration of nature-based solutions in city planning and development, such as green corridors, rooftop greening and the incorporation of green infrastructure is becoming increasingly important in promoting urban biodiversity. European cities have implemented successful initiatives to increase biodiversity in urban areas, providing valuable green spaces for city residents and combatting climate change. The success of these initiatives is due to a combination of factors: political will, community involvement, effective implementation and monitoring and innovative approaches to urban planning. By promoting urban biodiversity, cities can provide a range of ecosystem services, including climate regulation, air and water purification, pollination and aesthetic benefits.
Germany is known for its strong focus on community involvement, which has led to Berlin Urban Wildlife Project initiative. France has implemented innovative initiatives such as Biodiversity and Green Spaces Plan of Paris and has focused on public-private partnerships. The Netherlands is known for its focus on integrating biodiversity into urban planning and development with initiatives such as the Rotterdam Biodiversity Action Plan. The UK's success in urban biodiversity is due to its focus on research and monitoring, with initiatives such as the Royal Parks Foundation's management of urban parks in London and the Bristol Urban Pollinators Project.
(EN), Urban Planning
Incorporating biodiversity into urban planning and development is essential for promoting urban biodiversity in European cities. Cities such as Rotterdam, Stockholm, and London have successfully integrated biodiversity into their urban planning strategies. Rotterdam's Biodiversity Action Plan focuses on creating green spaces and connecting existing ones to create biodiversity corridors, while Stockholm's Green Structure Plan incorporates green infrastructure and promotes the use of green roofs and living walls. London's Biodiversity Strategy sets targets for the creation of new habitats, the protection of existing ones, and the improvement of green infrastructure. Green infrastructure, such as green roofs and living walls, plays a crucial role in promoting urban biodiversity by providing habitat for wildlife, improving air quality, and reducing the urban heat island effect.
(EN) | Both Medgidia and Balchik give a special priority to environmental initiatives that lead to the improvement of biodiversity, the protection and conservation of ecosystems and the reduction of pollution. In this sense, in the local development strategies of the 2 municipalities, sustainable development methods include the projects that aim to increase green areas by setting up parks, squares, gardens between buildings, as well as projects to increase energy efficiency in public and residential buildings that lead to reduce primary energy and CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.
The project will create a model of the "house of the future", an energy-independent and fully automated house that will contribute to reducing pollution and the costs of electricity and heat.
The house will be made of several types of environmentally friendly materials, it will present the utility of solar and photovoltaic panels, it will present several types of natural insulation (sheep wool, reed) or environmentally friendly (basalt mineral wool, perlite, ventilated facades, etc), will have a green roof and a living wall.
The house is intended to be a model to be fully or partially replicated both for public institutions and for private buildings.
(EN), Rooftop greening
Rooftop greening initiatives are an important aspect of promoting urban biodiversity in European cities. Cities like Copenhagen, Berlin, and Paris have implemented successful rooftop greening initiatives, which provide habitat for wildlife and reduce the urban heat island effect. In Copenhagen, the Green Roof Strategy has led to the installation of green roofs on more than 20% of the city's flat roofs, while Berlin's Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection has set a goal of installing green roofs on 30% of the city's flat roofs by 2022. In Paris, the Jardins sur les Toits program has installed rooftop gardens on public buildings and apartments, creating valuable green spaces in the city. Rooftop greening can also improve air quality, provide insulation for buildings, and reduce storm water runoff.
(EN) | The above described "future smart house" will have green roof in order to set-up a model for existing and future buildings. A comparative panel between green and classic roofs will explain the advantage of using a green roof instead of others materials. (EN), Growth, Responsibility, partnErship, Ecology, Nature, 2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Bulgaria - Turkey.Reconstruction works of a “GREEN HOUSE” in Sredets.
The general purpose is to reconstruct an old building in Sredets and the area around it and to turn it into a “Green House” – a centre for CBC education and networking for sustainable development.
(EN) | The "future smart house" - an energy independent house will be used to host film presentations in classic or 3D format with the subject of the environmental problems humanity is facing, the possible solutions, but also films on the flora and fauna of the cross-border region Constanta (Medgidia) - Balchik. (EN), Green building for common green future, 2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Bulgaria - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
The project will create better conditions for a more sustainable energy future in the Cross Border region through construction of energy-efficient public buildings, improving of awareness of population and stakeholders for the benefits of the energy efficiency measures and increasing of capacity of public administration staff for energy efficiency measures and climate change, promoting energy efficiency as tools for achieving sustainable development and improving the quality of life in cross border region. Project activities included: capacity building for climate change, public awareness raising campaign, capacity building-green infrastructure, reconstruction of the Municipal building - Kocani , reconstruction of the Regional Administration building in Blagoevgrad, thematic workshops and campaign tour, development of Regional energy strategy – Blagoevgrad. The project will have long-term positive impact on environment in the CB region and will improve quality of life through improvement of air quality. With the implementation of planed works for the public buildings, cost for electricity and heating fuel should be reduced approximately for 3 % annually. Achievements of the project will be used as a basis for recommendation for defining environmental sector specific policies, strategies and actions, which will be further developed by the teams of both partners, by the local authorities, by the universities and NGOs that work in the area of the protection of environment.
(EN) | Through the investments and activities proposed within the project, sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in the cross-border region will be promoted.
The current project also includes investments that promote energy efficiency as tools for achieving sustainable development and improving the quality of life in cross border region:
- the use of solar panels for lighting in the park
- the installation of intelligent irrigation systems
- using permeable materials for park's alleys that allow to capture rainwater at its source when rain falls, directly contributing to the limitation of water pollution by limiting the transport of pollutants to rainwater transport and collection systems. Studies show that this way water treatment costs can be reduced by 25%
- building a "future smart house" that is a model for energy efficiency house. and application of the nZEB standard in constructions (nearly Zero -Energy Building)
(EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 3 302 627.03

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 642 101.61

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.00%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 2 642 101.61. Co-financing rate, 80.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Infrastructure investments:

I1.2 - Rehabilitation and modernization of 1 Mai Park - EUR 1 666 600.00 - country: Romania, town: Medgidia, street: Tudor Vladimirescu, 5 BIS, postal_code: 905600, Sud-Est (RO22), Constanţa (RO223)
I1.1 - Horizon Ecological Park - EUR 955 498.00 - country: България, town: Balchik, street: “21-st September”Sq, 6, postal_code: 9600, Severoiztochen (BG33), Dobrich (BG332)

Deliverables:

Technical project
Works acquisition in Balchik
Works execution at Horizon Ecological Park Balchik
Works supervision in Balchik
Reception at the end of the works in Balchik
1 service contract for technical
documentation and technical
assistance
1 service contract for project
verification
Project for the
authorization of the
execution of the
works
Building permit
Technical project
Verified technical
project
Works
execution
contract
Technical book of the construction (elaborated until
the reception at the end of works)
Constructor communication
regarding the completion of
works
Set-up the reception commission
Speciality reports
Technical book of the construction
Admission of the reception
at the end of the works
Technical book of the construction
Works supervision contract
Joint opening press conference
Press releases
Profession al presentation movie
Interim press conference
applications for registration
Diplomas of participation
New green infrastructure in Medgidia
New green infrastructure in Balchik
workshop in Balchik
Better informed people about environmental issues and solutions for a sustainable future

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyDanubeRegion Increasing green spaces can contribute significantly to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in several ways:
1.Biodiversity Conservation: Green spaces provide habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal species. The Danube region is home to a diverse range of ecosystems, and increasing green spaces can help protect and restore these habitats. This is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, which is one of the key objectives of the EU's strategy for the region.
2.Cross-Border Collaboration: The Danube region spans multiple countries, and green space initiatives can encourage cross-border collaboration and cooperation, aligning with the strategy's goal of fostering good neighbourly relations and enhancing territorial integration.
3.Education and Awareness: Green spaces provide opportunities for environmental education and raising awareness about the importance of preserving the natural environment. This aligns with the strategy's objective of promoting a sense of responsibility and stewardship among the region's inhabitants.
4.Community Well-being: Access to green spaces has positive effects on the physical and mental well-being of residents. Promoting green spaces in urban areas within the Danube region can improve the quality of life for its inhabitants, contributing to the strategy's goals of social inclusion and cohesion.
5.Recreation and Tourism: Green spaces offer opportunities for recreation and tourism, which can boost local economies. Tourists are often drawn to natural beauty and outdoor activities, and enhancing green spaces can help promote sustainable tourism in the Danube region.
6.Water Quality: Green spaces, particularly riparian zones and buffer strips along rivers, can filter pollutants and improve water quality. This is crucial for maintaining the ecological health of the Danube River, which is one of Europe's major waterways and plays a central role in the region's transportation and ecosystems.
EuropeanGreenDeal Increasing green spaces can make significant contributions to the European Green Deal (EGD), a key policy initiative aimed at making the EU climate-neutral by 2050 and promoting sustainable economic growth.
1.Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration: The EGD seeks to protect and restore biodiversity. Increasing green spaces, such as urban parks, provides habitats for wildlife and helps preserve biodiversity. These spaces can also be used for ecosystem restoration projects, contributing to the EU's goal of reversing the decline of ecosystems.
2.Air Quality Improvement: Green spaces in urban areas can help improve air quality by absorbing pollutants and producing oxygen. Cleaner air is crucial for the health and well-being of EU citizens, and it supports the Green Deal's objective of addressing environmental and health challenges.
3.Urban Planning and Sustainability: The EGD promotes sustainable urban development. Increasing green spaces in cities enhances urban planning by creating green corridors, improving water management, reducing the urban heat island effect, and providing recreational spaces. This contributes to more sustainable and resilient cities.
4.Circular Economy: Green spaces can support the circular economy by providing resources for activities such as composting and recycling. These initiatives align with the EGD's focus on creating a more sustainable and circular economy.
5.Nature-Based Solutions: The EGD emphasizes the use of nature-based solutions to address environmental challenges. Green spaces, including urban park, are a prime example of nature-based solutions that can help manage water, reduce flooding, and provide a range of other ecosystem services.
6.Education and Awareness: Green spaces offer opportunities for environmental education and raising awareness about the importance of nature conservation and sustainable living. This aligns with the EGD's goal of fostering a sense of responsibility and sustainability among EU citizens.
TerritorialAgenda2030
The expansion of green spaces aligns with and supports the goals of the Territorial Agenda 2030:
1.Enhancing Quality of Life: Increasing green spaces in urban areas provides accessible, natural environments for recreation and relaxation. Green spaces contribute to physical and mental well-being, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.
2.Sustainable Urban Development: In urban areas, parks and green infrastructure can help manage storm water, mitigate urban heat islands, and promote sustainable urbanization.
3.Biodiversity Conservation: Expanding green spaces can provide habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species, contributing to the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
4.Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Green spaces act as carbon sinks, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helping to mitigate climate change. They can serve as buffers against the impacts of climate change, such as flooding and extreme heat events, contributing to the agenda's resilience objectives.
5.Natural-Based Solutions: The agenda promotes the use of nature-based solutions to address territorial challenges. Green spaces, including urban green infrastructure, can serve as nature-based solutions for issues like urbanization, water management, and climate resilience.
6.Cross-Border and Transnational Cooperation: The Territorial Agenda 2030 emphasizes cross-border and transnational cooperation. Increasing green spaces can facilitate collaboration among regions and countries.
7.Education and Awareness: Green spaces offer opportunities for environmental education and raising awareness about sustainable living and conservation. This aligns with the Territorial Agenda's aim to promote a sense of responsibility and sustainability among citizens.
8.Promoting Sustainable Tourism: Green spaces are often attractive destinations for tourists seeking natural beauty and outdoor activities.
Other Increasing green spaces can make a significant contribution to the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030:
1.Habitat Restoration and Creation: Green spaces, such as urban parks, provide essential habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species. Increasing green spaces, particularly in urban and degraded landscapes, contributes to the restoration and creation of habitats, addressing the strategy's objective of safeguarding ecosystems.
2.Conservation of Species: Green spaces offer refuge for both common and endangered species. By expanding green spaces and promoting habitat connectivity, the strategy can support the conservation of species and the maintenance of biodiversity.
3.Connectivity of Ecosystems: Green spaces, when designed as interconnected networks, can serve as corridors for wildlife movement. This improves the connectivity of ecosystems, allowing species to migrate and adapt to changing environmental conditions, which is essential for their survival in the face of climate change.
4.Ecosystem Services: Green spaces provide various ecosystem services, including pollination, water purification, and soil stabilization.
5.Urban Biodiversity: Increasing green spaces in urban areas can promote urban biodiversity. Urban parks and green infrastructure provide habitats for plants and animals, offering residents opportunities to connect with nature.
6.Resilience to Environmental Changes: Green spaces can enhance the resilience of ecosystems to environmental changes, including pollution and extreme weather events. By preserving and creating green spaces, the strategy aims to build more robust and adaptive ecosystems.
7.Education and Awareness: Green spaces serve as valuable platforms for environmental education and raising awareness about biodiversity conservation. They can help foster a sense of responsibility and stewardship among the public, aligning with the strategy's objective of engaging citizens.
Other Other
Increasing green spaces plays a crucial role in contributing to the success of the EU Nature Restoration Plan:
1Habitat Restoration: Green spaces provide valuable habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species. Expanding green spaces, especially in areas where ecosystems have been degraded, supports the restoration of natural habitats, which is a primary objective of the EU NRP.
2Enhancing Biodiversity: Green spaces serve as refuges for common and endangered species. By creating and preserving green spaces, the plan promotes the conservation and recovery of biodiversity, helping to halt the decline in species populations and ecosystem health.
3Ecosystem Connectivity: Green spaces can serve as corridors and stepping stones for wildlife, facilitating movement between fragmented habitats. This connectivity is essential for maintaining genetic diversity and enabling species to adapt to changing environmental conditions
4Climate Resilience: Green spaces contribute to climate resilience by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helping to regulate local climates. Restoring and expanding green spaces can enhance ecosystem resilience to climate change impacts, a critical aspect of the plan
5Ecosystem Services: Green spaces provide essential ecosystem services, such as pollination, water purification, and flood regulation. Increasing green spaces helps ensure the provision of these services, which are vital for human well-being and ecosystem health, as outlined in the plan.
6.Recreation and Education: Green spaces offer opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education. By engaging citizens with nature, the plan seeks to raise awareness about the importance of ecosystem restoration and conservation, encouraging public support for these efforts.
7.Urban Green Infrastructure: Urban green spaces, parks and green roofs, play a critical role in the plan by enhancing urban biodiversity, improving air quality and offering green oases.
Other New European Bauhaus
The park and green infrastructure is in line with the concept of NEB because sustain the integration of art, craft, and technology to create functional and aesthetically pleasing designs. The New European Bauhaus is linked to environmental sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion:
Environmental Sustainability: The green investment within the project places a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability, aligning with climate goals and addressing key issues like protection biodiversity and resource depletion. It encourages the use of eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient
technologies, and sustainable construction practices in architecture and design. This focus on sustainability is crucial for achieving goals related to zero pollution, circularity, and biodiversity. By designing with sustainability in mind, the initiative aims to enhance the protection of biodiversity and reduce
pollution.
Aesthetics and Quality of Experience: The project recognizes that aesthetics play a significant role in design. It encourages designers and architects to
prioritize aesthetics and the quality of the user experience in their creations.
This means that sustainability doesn't have to come at the expense of style or functionality. Instead, it promotes the idea that sustainable designs can be both visually appealing and highly functional, enhancing the overall quality of life.
Inclusion and Equality: Inclusivity and equality are fundamental principles of the New European Bauhaus. The project seeks to create designs and spaces that are accessible to all, regardless of their age, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status. This inclusivity extends to both the design process and the end products. By valorizing diversity and promoting accessibility and affordability, the initiative aims to ensure that everyone benefits from well-designed and sustainable environments.
Other Green procurement
Green procurement is a strategy that involves purchasing goods, services, and materials that have a reduced environmental impact. When creating green infrastructure like a park, green procurement practices can be
incorporated into various aspects of the project to ensure sustainability and environmental responsibility:
1.Sourcing Sustainable Materials:
- Landscape Materials: it will be choose materials for pathways, seating, and structures that are sourced sustainably, such as certified wood or recycled materials.
- Plant Selection: it will be asked for native or drought-tolerant plant species, which require less water and maintenance, and promote biodiversity.
2.Energy-Efficient Lighting and Equipment:
- the lighting will be energy-efficient by using solar panel and LED
- installation of energy-efficient irrigation systems with smart controls to optimize water use.
3.Waste Management:
- procurement of waste and recycling bins made from recycled materials.
- the promotion of recycling and composting within the park.
4.Lifecycle Assessment:
- it will be considered the lifecycle environmental impact of products and
materials, including production, transportation, use, and disposal, when
making procurement decisions.
5. Urban furniture:
-the purchase of urban furniture will comply with the requirements regarding green purchases stipulated in national legislation, transposed in European regulations
The municipalities committed themselves to procure goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured.
By incorporating green procurement principles into the creation of green
infrastructure like a park, it will be minimize the environmental footprint of the project but also will be created a sustainable and enjoyable space for the community to enjoy.
Other Medgidia local development strategy and Balchik local development strategy.
As it appears from the local development strategies of the two municipalities, available on the official websites of the town halls, green infrastructure is among the sustainable development priorities. The 1 Mai Park is on the list of priority projects for which non-reimbursable sources of funding are sought, as the value of a park of such scope and stylistic conception far exceeds the investment budget of UAT Medgidia.
Also, for Balchik, the creation of green oases inside the neighborhoods, to improve the air quality, but also to provide opportunities to spend free time, relax and play, is among the priorities of the local administration.
The investments in green areas of the 2 authorities are also in line with the regional development strategies, transposed in the 2021-2027 Regional Programs.
The investments promoted through INTERREG VI-a will successfully
complete the green infrastructure projects that the 2 authorities will access
within the regional programs, thus succeeding, through integrated actions
and on a larger scale, to create an important step forward in protecting and
preserving biodiversity, increasing air quality by reducing pollution.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 036 - Green infrastructure supported for other purposes than adaptation to climate change, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Delivered output indicator(s):

(RCO87) Organisations cooperating across borders: 2.0

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 095 - Population having access to new or improved green infrastructure, Measurement unit:
RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
RCR 084 - Organisations cooperating across borders after project completion, Measurement unit:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSDR

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-12-03

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

33 / 33 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

92 / 92 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Let's make nature smile again!

Description

Thematic information

Partners (2)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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