Fourth face-to-face partner meeting and study visit in Vratsa, Bulgaria (ReInd-BBG)

  16:55, 10 Oct 25

On November 8–9, 2025, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Vratsa, together with the Municipality of Vratsa, hosted the fourth in-person partner meeting and study visit within the project “Reindustrialisation Following the Brownfield is Better than Greenfield Principle” (ReInd-BBG). The project is funded by the Interreg Danube Region Programme (2021–2027) and is implemented by a consortium of 16 partners from Slovenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro.

The first day of the meeting was opened by Ms. Iliana Filipova, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Vratsa, Ms. Tanja Faganel, expert from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, and Ms. Petya Dolapchieva, Deputy Mayor of Vratsa Municipality.

The team of CCI-Vratsa presented the pilot location selected for Bulgaria under the project – the Students' City in Vratsa – discussing the progress made so far and potential plans for future development. Later in the day, the group visited the pilot site in person, where Ms. Dolapchieva shared insights about the area’s rich history and its future development vision.

The meeting continued with a visit to Mr. Dimitar Ivanov, Eng., Executive Director of Cheh Plast Ltd., who warmly welcomed all participants to his company. Mr. Ivanov spoke about the history of the production site and how he transformed the former industrial space following the “Brown is better than green” principle.

On the second day, individual meetings and consultations were held with partners on knowledge transfer and good practices related to improving investment tools for the pilot locations. The session continued with group work focused on developing a roadmap to guide local communities and actors through the reindustrialisation process of brownfield areas.
The roadmap serves as a strategic plan defining the objectives and expected outcomes of brownfield reindustrialisation in line with the goals of the Territorial Agenda for 2030.

For more information and updates, follow the project’s official channels: