Ms. Iliana Filipova, Chair of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa, and Mr. Veselin Tsvetkov, Business Expert at CCI Vratsa, actively participated in the fourth study visit and partner meeting under the ACTIVE ID project in Castilla–La Mancha, Spain, on 11–12 November 2025.
From Bulgaria, the following regional stakeholders also took part:
- Angel Boyanov, Deputy Mayor for Economic Activities of Belogradchik Municipality,
- Iva Aleksandrova, representative of the Tourist Information Centre – Belogradchik,
- Maria Doncheva-Petkova, Chair of the Board of the “Knigini” Association,
- Boyan Milushev, Manager of “BM Vision” Ltd.
They had the opportunity to observe good practices in action and participate in discussions on the future development of the region. The programme covered key project-related topics as well as the broader framework linked to the project’s goal of influencing policy instruments in the partner regions. New ideas for future joint initiatives were also explored, with stakeholders contributing valuable suggestions.
Participants visited two cities in the region — Toledo and Cuenca.
On 11 November in Toledo, the group learned about the “Rural Bike Conecta” project, which promotes sustainable tourism through a network of cycling routes connecting protected natural areas and the five provincial capitals of Castilla–La Mancha.
On 12 November in Cuenca, the group visited the large climbing centre Silo de Chillaron, built inside a former grain silo, as well as the Urban Forest Innovation Lab (UFIL) — both examples of stimulating local economic development through reindustrialisation of old infrastructure into a modern sports and leisure facility, and innovative approaches to forest resource management combining rural and urban perspectives.
Follow the project website (https://www.interregeurope.eu/active-id) and the official LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com/company/active-id-project) for more information!
