The European Commission has approved €30,000 for a project called "The Green Heart of Stambolovo", Mayor Adnan Yildiz told BTA. The money will pay for planting greenery along the renewed pavements on the village's main street.
Stambolovo is one of 20 winners in the "New European Bauhaus for small municipalities" initiative. The competition drew about 800 projects from across Europe, and 30 reached the final.
The municipality renewed the pavements on the main street this year using its own budget. It has also chosen the green areas in the centre where the planting will be refreshed. Local shrubs and flowers that resist drought will go there. Residents will help with the planting and then look after the space.
Yildiz said the project has two aims: to respond to climate change and to protect plant species typical for the area. The idea came from a team in the municipal administration. The mayor said it shows that small municipalities also have people who can come up with good initiatives.
Yildiz also pointed to the "Citizens' Budgets" programme, which the HALO foundation is running for the first time this year. Experience so far shows that people join in willingly when they take direct part. For that reason, the mayor explained, residents should feel the space is their own and protect it.
Representatives of the municipal administration are on a two-day visit to Brussels, where they are learning about other European programmes that support local development. The municipality takes part in "Startup Village", which encourages entrepreneurship in rural areas, and in MIP4Adapt, which helps local and regional authorities adapt to climate change.
Under MIP4Adapt, Stambolovo received technical help in two areas: water supply and solar power for street lighting. In recent years, more than €10m has been invested in the municipality's water network, but old water pipes still await replacement so that less water is lost.
Street lighting already uses energy-saving lamps. Solar power plants to supply it are next. The municipality also expects invitations to back local business ideas.