451,798.14 euro, out of which 384,028.42 euroERDF

Lead beneficiary (LB): Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency – BSMEPA (Bulgaria)

Beneficiary 2 (B 2): Local Employers’ Association for Small and Middle Enterprises (LEASME) (Romania)

Start date: 04.05.2017

End date: 03.05.2019

Duration: 24 months

Vidin in Bulgaria

Dolj in Romania

-          Programme outputs: 28 initiatives that activate workforce mobility in the cross border area;

-          Programme results: more than 76,000 people will have access to joint employment initiatives.

The project was terminated.

593,492.79 EUR euro, out of which 504,468.87 euroERDF

Lead Beneficiary (LB): Industrial Association – Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria)

Beneficiary 2 (B2): Constanta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Shipping and Agriculture (Romania),

Beneficiary 3 (B3): Bulgarian Industrial Association – union of the Bulgarian business (BIA) (Bulgaria)

Start date: - 4 April 2017

End date: - 3 April 2019

Duration: 24 months

Constanta in Romania

Veliko Tarnovo, Sofia in Bulgaria

-          Programme outputs: 4 initiatives that activate workforce mobility in the cross border area; 400 participants in joint local employment initiatives and joint training

-          Programme results: 50.000 people will have access to joint employment initiatives.

The project was finalised on 03.04.2019.

Results:

• 5 economic sectors on both sides of the border with potential for labour mobility selected through a jointly applied methodology;
• - Selecting 40 key positions in the selected economic sectors with identified potential for labour mobility;
• 5 bilingual competence catalogues with a description of the required knowledge, skills and competencies for the selected 40 key positions developed, validated and approved in Romania and Bulgaria;
• 1 trilingual internet portal . The modern design and the interactive screens allow easy and friendly access to the website resources - the CBC economic map, profiles of identified enterprises from both sides of the border with the potential to enable mobility of workforce from across the border, the competence catalogues, five e-tools for competency assessment, internet-based module for profiling unemployed and inactive persons, an e-learning platform (activity 8), an e-platform;
• 2 press conferences were organized (Veliko Tarnovo and Constanta).

To facilitate labor mobility in the restaurant/culinary business in the RO-BG cross border area through joint skill-building and employment mobility support services.

429,383.03 euro, out of which 364,975.58 euro ERDF

Lead Beneficiary (LB): Dobrudja Agro & Business School” (DABS) (Bulgaria)

Beneficiary 2 (B2):  Association “Choose Your Profession” - Center for Vocational Training

(ATP) (LEASME) (Romania)

Start date: 29.04.2017

End date: 28.04.2019

Duration: 24 months

Dobrich in Bulgaria

Constanta in Romania

• VET training programs fine-tuned to the needs of CB business
• Methods and tests for assessing potential employees’ personal skills
• Pilot vocational training with CB mobility for 120 persons
• Pilot assessment of the personal skills of 150 persons
• Continuous VET and lifelong learning pathways
• ·A sustainable RO-BG Cross Border Center for the Facilitation of Labor Mobility in the Culinary and Restaurant Business - a support structure linking education providers, job seekers and business, and providing possibilities for personalized advisory services and counseling for mobile workers and CB employers.

Programme outputs: 3 initiatives that activate workforce mobility in the cross border area; 470 participants in joint local employment initiatives and joint trainings; 200 participants in joint educational and training schemes to support youth employment, educational opportunities and higher and vocational education across borders.

Programme results: 7380 persons having access to joint employment initiatives.

The project was finalized in April 2019.

This project aimed at creating preconditions for CB labour mobility in the target sector by developing integrated tools: training and assessment programs and methods; continuous VET, lifelong learning and professional development pathways; support structures linking education providers, job seekers and business and providing possibilities for personalized advisory services and  counselling for mobile workers and CB employers. The tools are aimed at facilitating the transferability of employees’ professional and personal skills to business conditions at the other side of the border and decreasing the uncertainties (for both employees and employers) about the consequences of CB employment.

The following project activities were implemented:

The needs for support of training, employment and employment mobility of potential employees and employers in the culinary and restaurant sector in the Romania-Bulgaria cross border region – professional skills were researched and analyzed.

An Integrated Training and Employment Mobility Support Scheme for the RO-BG Cross Border Area was developed and implemented, comprising:

-      Integrated VET curricula with CB relevance and prior learning validation pathways (continuous VET), for 4 key professions: 1) cook; 2) baker/pastry-maker, 3) restauranteur, 4) waiter/bartender;

-      Soft Skills Assessment Model;

-      a training program for labour mobility preparedness and support in the RO-BG cross border area, based on 5 courses 1) Labour and citizenship rights, incl. labour legislation in Romania and Bulgaria, 2) Cultural awareness, history and culinary traditions in the CB region, 3) Guest relations and profiles, 4) Digital skills for job seekers,   5) Presentation skills for job seekers.

Romania-Bulgaria Cross Border Centre for the Facilitation of Labor Mobility in the Culinary and Restaurant Business was set-up with 2 contact points in Dobrich and Constanta and accordingly equipped with own VET training facilities.

A 2-day Capacity-Building and Training Workshop for 40 RO and BG teachers and VET trainers for culinary/restaurant business professions was hosted by RO-BG CB Centre for the Facilitation of Labour Mobility in the Culinary and Restaurant Business in Dobrich.

Quick Guides focused were developed on the main issues affecting CB labour mobility, namely Employment and Citizenship Rights and Regulations in the RO-BG Cross Border Area, How to Find Mobile Employees in the RO-BG Cross Border Area, as well as Training for Mobile Employees in the RO-BG Cross Border Area

All products of the project can be accessed at http://icarus-robg.eu/.

1,219,573.08 euro, out of which 1,036,637.12 euro ERDF

Lead beneficiary (LB): Municipality of Lyaskovets(Bulgaria)

Beneficiary (B2): Territorial Administrative Unit – Videle Town(Romania)

Start date: 25.04.2017

End date: 18.09.2020

Duration: 40 months 25 days

*The project implementation period was suspended for the period 13.03.2020 – 31.07.2020

Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria

Teleorman in Romania

- Programme outputs: 15 initiatives that activate workforce mobility in the cross border area; 160 participants in joint local employment initiatives and joint training.

- Programme results: 30,396 persons will have access to joint employment initiatives.

The project is finalized.

The project was implemented within 40 Month 25 Days (25.04.2017-18.09.2020) instead of initially envisaged 24 (extended via Addendum no.1 from 11.02.2019, Addendum no.2 from 23.10.2020 and suspended from 13.03.2020 until 31.07.2020).

All of the project activities have been implemented according to the approved application form. The project objective: “to increase the employment opportunities and the mobility of the labor force”, along with the overall objective of the project “To encourage the integration of the cross-border area in terms of employment and labor mobility”, has been fullfield.  The beneficiaries purchased  the equipment foreseen within the project, renovated the building for the cross-border business incubator in Lyaskovets, as well as they organized  different trainings, job fairs and developmed 2 web platforms. In regard with the project indicators, the proposed contribution to the Programme indicators was achieved, as mentioned in the approved application form.

In regard with the project indicators

According to the information available in the final report and on the spot, the proposed contribution to the Programme indicators was achieved, as mentioned by the approved application form.

Outputs indicators:

A)  8e.1 - No. of initiatives (trainings, education schemes, websites, agreements, networks, job-fairs etc.) that activate workforce mobility in the cross border area:

According the application form, the target for this indicator is 15 initiative and all of the actions have been performed by the beneficiaries, contributing to the target value, as mentioned within the Approved application form. Still, considering the provisions of the MC Decision no. 128/19.11.2019 and also the opinion of the assessors during the evaluation process and the performed actions, the reporting achieved value of the indicator shall be that of 6 initiatives, as follows: 4 modules of the professional trainings (Organic farming and agriculture, Social entrepreneurship in the rural areas, Development of local crafts and services based on local resources, Sustainable tourism in rural areas).

B.  8e.2 (CO44) - No of participants in joint local employment initiatives and joint training

According to the approved Application Form, the contribution to this programme output indicators should be:‘160 participants in Joint Cross-Border Markets, and 100 participants in green academy “Green Innovation Lab”, while the project contributes with 351 participants in total which comes from 171 participants in the Joint Cross-Border Markets

2 job fairs were organized: - one in Videle on 26.02.2020, with 91 participants;

                                         -one in Lyaskovets on 10.05.2019, with 80 participants;

According to the information provided in the last revision of the final report:

-100 participants in summer academy “Green Innovation Lab” (1^st edition of Green Academy with 20 participants took place on 05-07.03.2020 and has been organized in Lyaskovets);

- Other 4 editions were organized in August and September 2020, (with 80 participants)  in the 4 modules of the professional trainings:

Module 1: Organic farming and agriculture 24.08 – 25.08.2020 – with 20 participants;

Module 2: Social entrepreneurship in the rural areas - 22.08 – 23.08.2018 - 19 participants;

Module 3: Development of local crafts and services based on local resources - 29.08 –30.08.2018 - 24 participants;

Module 5: Sustainable tourism in rural areas 26 – 27.08.2020 - 20 participants), considered as contributing by the assessors;

Within the project, an existing municipal building in Lyaskovets, which is developed to serve as a cross-border business incubator for ecotourism and organic agriculture in Lyaskovets municipality, is renovated,

The cross-border business incubator for ecotourism and organic agriculture is equipped with office space, facilities for information services, two presentation and training halls for theoretical and practical vocational trainings. LB’s Business Incubator is located at the following address: Lyaskovets, Buzludzha street no. 1.

There are two websites elaborated, namely the web platform for green jobs developed and maintained by the LB: https://www.greenjobs.lyaskovets.bg/( Ro/ENG/BG) and the e-learning portal developed and maintained by B2: https://elearning.primariavidele.ro/ro.

In addition, the beneficiaries also developed within the project a mobile application – Green Jobs Lyaskovets, which can be downloaded and installed for free on any smartphone using Android or iOS as operating systems.

430,114.34 euro, out of which 365,597.19 euro ERDF

Lead partner: Bar Association - Dolj (Romania)

Partners: Bar Association - Vidin (Bulgaria)

Start date: 05.04.2017

End date: 04.10.2018

Duration: 18 months

Dolj in Romania

Vidin in Bulgaria

Programme outputs: 4 types of initiatives that activate workforce mobility in the cross border area and 300 participants in joint local employment initiatives and joint training.

Programme results: 300 inhabitants on both sides of the border will have access to joint employment initiatives.

The project was finalized in October 2018. The beneficiaries successfully planned and implemented the project activities achieving the main project outputs and results.

A cross-border juridical network, composed of 2 dedicated centres (Cross-Border Juridical Center from Craiova and Cross-Border Juridical Center from Vidin) was setup at the headquarters of 2 beneficiaries, which were the framework for the implementation of all project activities. Also, the centres are envisaged to function in the project sustainability period and will also provide the framework for the implementation of the Joint Strategy and related action plan which have been developed within the project. To that purpose a new Partnership Agreement, including an action plan for the period 2019 - 2023 was concluded by the 2 beneficiaries. The two beneficiaries are already working on the extension of the network to include other bar associations from the cross-border region. Mehedinti and Olt Bar Association have already adopted decisions for joining the network;

The team of the two beneficiaries developed a study regarding employment and workforce mobility in the cross-border area, including survey among law students, legal practitioners and legal entities in Dolj County and Vidin district was realised in view of identifying the needs of the target groups (law students and graduates on one hand, and their potential employers, on the other), as well as the employability area, and conditions in which the members of the target group will be able to become more mobile within the cross border region. Based on the study, the team further developed a strategy regarding employment and workforce mobility in the cross-border area, in the juridical field. During the strategy elaboration, the expert team consulted various stakeholders and actors that may be involved in the implementation of the Strategy for elaboration a detailed action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy. Both the Study and the Strategy were translated in English, printed and disseminated to the Stakeholders;

The project website and information database are available at https://juriscbp.ro/ and represent a repository of the project implementation and features all project results, including the results of the study and the developed Strategy, a database with potential employers in Dolj County and Vidin District, legislation in the juridical field in the two countries, job openings in the juridical field in Dolj County and Vidin district, the training materials from the trainings in juridical themes, etc.;

The most important output of the project is the educational scheme, composed of:

        joint training courses in cross-border juridical themes (Cross-border migration regulation, Cross-border labor legislation and social security, Cross-border tax law, Cross-border commercial law, Cross-border regulations in transports and cultural patrimony, Cross-border criminal law) for 155 RO and 155 BG implemented in the period March – August 2018.

        language training course (24 hours) for 74 (39 RO and 35 BG) representatives of the target group implemented in November 2017;

        joint training on horizontal issues for 40 (20Bg and 20 RO) representatives of the Target group in the period February-March 2018