Background

The long-lasting tradition of collaboration among the municipalities of the regions of Dobrich and Silistra with these of the Romanian regions of Kalarash, Constanca, and Ialomica encouraged local authorities to start building a structure that would support the development and realization of local projects.

After preliminary research, the Bulgarian municipalities resolved to establish a non-profit organization Association for transborder development and cooperation which would coordinate the internal relations and represent them on an international level. The Danube Dobrudga Association was established on May 30, 2001 by 13 municipalities of the Dobrich and Silistra regions and four non-governmental organizations.

Practice

On December 15, 2001, 13 municipalities of the regions of Dobrich and Silistra and the Romanian Kalarash, Constanca, and Ialomica made their first practical entrance in the sphere of transborder cooperation of a European model. On the same day, the participants adopted a Charter of Lower Danube Euroregion, developed according to European legislation and experience in the area of regional cooperation.

The official signing of the Agreement for establishment of the Lower Danube Euroregion took place on November 15, 2001 in the town of Kalarash, Romania. Representing Bulgaria on the ceremony were Georgi Panaiotov, Chief of Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Julia Stefanova, representative of the National Association of the Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, Ina Raycheva, Program Manager at the Foundation for Local Government Reform, as well as representatives of regional authorities.

Bulgarians and Romanians received international technical aid and consultations in developing the Charter and defining the Euroregion structures. With the cooperation of FLGR and NAMRB, two representatives of the Municipality of Silistra Mayor Ivo Andonov, and Diana Bebenova Nikolova, Chief Expert International Programs and Cooperation were included in the Bulgarian delegation that received invitation for participation in the Conference for transborder cooperation in the town of Jeshuv, Poland.

The event was organized by the Foundation for Support of Local Democracy and funded by the US Agency for International Development in Poland. The participants discussed questions regarding institutionalizing the structure of the Polish Euroregions, financing of regional projects and the influence of regional cooperation on local self-government. The conference concluded that local self-government representatives of Balkan countries need to actively cooperate with the Stability Pact, the Council of Europe, and Phare Programme in order to receive financing for Euro-regional projects. This fundamental message, as well as the experience shared was successfully applied in closing the procedure of establishing the Euroregion and starting the first joint projects.
1. A Chairman elected on rotation principle for a one-year period, heads the International Association;

2. Council of the Euro-region legislative body, consisting of three representatives of Bulgarian and Romanian side, who take decisions by solid vote.

3. Work commissions and Secretariat executive bodies, consisted of even number municipality representatives. Mihai Arbajik, Chairman of the Municipal Council of Kalarash, became the first Chairman of the Lower Danube Euroregion. On the Bulgarian side Silistra became the Euroregion. Lower Danube differs from the other two in ways of transportation the presence of a land border, through which the second railroad line connecting Bulgaria and Romania passes. Compared to the other two Euro-regions, the possibility for border crossing is better here it is the border with the shortest distance between the three checkpoints.

Results

Practically, the work meetings for establishing the legislative framework of the Lower Danube Euroregion supported the development of a project for building a contemporary ferry connection between the two banks at the lower course of the river before the Phare Program ( Trans-border Cooperation Division).

The Euro-region, including about 1.5 million citizens, is an open system with possibilities for the joining of other municipalities from Bulgaria, Romania, as well as other countries. In that sense, the idea for a multi-national project emerged the transportation corridor Turkey Moldavia, which, according to the preliminary expert assessment, would bring to each participating country a profit of around 1.8 Euro per year. The realization of the project suggests the need for building a bridge for the railroad line.