On 14 October 2026, in the town of Byala Slatina, the team of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa organised a meeting of the Regional Stakeholder Group within the Rural COOP project – “Rethinking Sustainable and Integrated Development in Non-Urban Areas: Cooperative Foresight and Anticipation”, funded by the Interreg Europe programme. The meeting focused on the topic “Drivers of Change and Good Practices Supporting the Improvement of the Integrated Development Plan of Byala Slatina Municipality.”
The meeting was opened by Eng. Ivo Tsvetkov, Mayor of Byala Slatina Municipality, which participates in the Rural COOP project as an Associated Partner. Representatives of the municipality, LAG Byala Slatina, local businesses, farmers and other stakeholders actively took part in the working sessions and discussions.
At the beginning of the meeting, the progress of the Rural COOP project and the results achieved so far at local and European level were presented, together with the upcoming steps in the process of improving the Integrated Development Plan of Byala Slatina Municipality.
The main part of the meeting consisted of two practical working sessions.
During the first session, participants worked with the STEEP framework, analysing social, technological, economic and environmental trends, as well as changes in public policies and the regulatory environment that may influence the future development of the municipality. The work led to the identification of concrete signals of change and key driving forces, while the discussions outlined possible development directions to be taken into account in strategic planning.
During the second session, participants reviewed good practices from Bulgaria and other European regions and discussed their applicability in the local context. Particular attention was paid to approaches and solutions that could be adapted to the conditions in Byala Slatina Municipality and used as a basis for formulating concrete proposals for the Integrated Development Plan.
As a result of the joint work, the participants highlighted factors of particular importance for the municipality’s development, discussed key challenges and opportunities for action, and identified good practices that merit further exploration and adaptation to local needs.
The meeting provided an opportunity to incorporate different local perspectives and experience into the planning process and laid the groundwork for the next steps towards formulating concrete proposals for improving the Integrated Development Plan of Byala Slatina Municipality.
The Rural COOP project is implemented with the financial support of the Interreg Europe programme.
