A combination of beauty and history – completed and equipped guest house within the monastery church of St. Stefan in Konche

The Centre for development of the South-East planning region successfully completed the activities for the adaptation and equipping of the guesthouse in the frame of the St. Stefan Monastery Church in the municipality of Konche, within the project “Enriching the tourist offer of the South-East planning region.”

During the implementation of this project, construction works were undertaken to expand the St. Spas guesthouse and its equipping with a kitchen, furniture, and other necessary equipment, creating a pleasant ambiance and a well-maintained space that captivates with its natural surroundings and spiritual value.

The total value of the project amounts to 5.800.000, 00 MKD with funds provided by the Bureau for Regional Development and the Municipality of Konche.

With the implementation of this project, the Municipality of Konche will be included on the map of monastery tourist sites, attracting the attention of this type of tourists. This successfully completed project will contribute to the improvement of the tourism offer in the South-East region and will strengthen the position of Konche Municipality as a significant tourist destination with rich cultural and religious heritage.

Kolesino waterfalls and Mokrino springs enriched with new content

Kolešino waterfall located in the heart of the Belasitsa mountain, as part of the activities of the project “Tourism – the future of the region” implemented by the Centre for the Development of the Southeast Planning Region in partnership with the municipality of Novo Selo, financially supported by the Regional Development Bureau, received new content.

The path for climbing to the waterfall has been paved, a new fence was installed in places where there was none before and the existing one has been repaired, the parking lot has been leveled and filled, next to which a parking structure for bicycles has been added, the existing summerhouses have been renovated, a new wooden platform has been made, new trash cans, benches, tables, wooden signposts and traffic signs have been installed, which will enable tourists to have a pleasant stay when visiting these tourist destinations.

The Mokrino springs have been enriched with a new concrete access path for people with special needs, one summerhouse has been adapted for easy access with a wheelchair and parking spaces have been marked for them.

In addition to this content, new summerhouses were additionally built and the existing ones were repaired, the old props were completely replaced with new ones (new trash cans, wooden road signs and traffic signs were installed), a traditional Macedonian oven was made that all visitors can use.

The contractor of the activities of this project DGT “MAJSTOR KOMPANI” completed the planned actions in less than 2 months, and the value of the implemented activities is MKD 4,609,623.00 including VAT.

“ENERGY EFFICIENT REGION” PROJECT HAS BEEN PROMOTED

On March 24, 2023, the “Energy Efficient Region” project was promoted, which was implemented by the Centre for the Development of the South-East Planning Region, in partnership with the municipalities of Konče, Radovish and Vasilevo, and which foresees the construction of a system of photovoltaic power plants on the roofs of OOU “Krste Petkov Misirkov” and the Sports Hall “25 May” in Radovish with a capacity of 430 KW, as well as the development of a software digital system.

At the event, the Director of CRJIPR, Mr. Gjoko Kamchev, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Mr. Kiril Partalov, the Mayor of Radovish Municipality, Mr. Aco Ristov, the Mayor of Konche Municipality, Mr. Zlatko Ristov and the Mayor of the municipality of Vasilevo, Mr. Slave Andonov gave their own address about the project.

“I hope that in the coming period, as a top priority in the goals of the municipalities and the Center, it will be precisely green energy that will significantly contribute to the reduction of the costs of the municipalities, and thus will additionally enable them to use the funds that were previously spent on energy and electricity to use for the realization of other projects, which will be of vital importance for the citizens of the municipalities of Vasilevo, Konche and Radovish” – said the director of the Centre, Mr. Kamchev.

The project team presented the previous and future activities that will be implemented, the expected results, as well as the benefits after the completion of the project implementation.

The total budget of the project amounts is about 23 million denars, funds provided by the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the three municipal partners in the project that also participate.

 

The reconstruction of the road to the church in the village Radicevo, Vasilevo has been completed

Within the framework of the project “Tourism – the future of the region” implemented by the Centre for the Development of the South-East Planning Region, financially supported by the Regional Development Bureau, the reconstruction of the road to the church “St.Ilija” in the village of Radicevo, Vasilevo in the value of 2 196 616 denars, which solved one of the main problems of the residents in this settlement.

It is a street that connects the village with the church and the cemetery, 327 meters long and 3 meters wide. About 1000 square meters of asphalt have been laid on it. Drainage was solved with gutters that in the future will protect the asphalt as well as the surrounding areas from the uncontrolled spilling of water in case of heavy rains.

With the asphalting of this street, the problem of the citizens of Radichevo, who for many years were faced with poor access to the church and the cemetery, was solved.

The contractor of the works was the construction company “Boni Intergradba”, which completely realized this project in a shorter period of time than expected!

SIGNED MEMORANDUM FOR COOPERATION

On March 22, 2023, the Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics, represented by the dean, Prof. Dr. Tatjana Boshkov, and the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region, represented by the director, Mr. Gjoko Kamchev, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.

Guided by the common interest with this Memorandum, the two institutions establish cooperation based on the use of the scientific-professional capacities of both parties aimed at the promotion of educational, research and project activities, as well as the increase of the educational opportunities of students and employees of CDSEPR.

FTBL and CDSEPR will jointly work on networking and work in national and international networks, on implementing joint initiatives for performing scientific analyzes and research for the benefit of successful implementation of European policies and regulations, as well as on other activities whose ultimate goal is to encourage economic growth and development.

The South-East planning region – the center of diplomacy!

Within the framework of the Economic Diplomatic Caravan organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Bureau for Regional Development and the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region with all ten municipalities as hosts of the event, the aim was to present and promote the most significant projects for which the municipalities looking for funding sources. Also, in addition to the projects from the municipalities in the region, twenty export-oriented companies from each municipality had the opportunity to introduce themselves and familiarize the representatives of the Diplomatic Corps in our country with the investment opportunities and potentials of the region. This was a real opportunity for the companies to present their production, to present their own capabilities and for the South-East planning region to be more seriously put on the map of Europe and the world.

NEW DIGITAL REALITY – Workshops within the Bi In project

Basic digital transformation at a time when technology is all around us is an outdated topic.

It is of vital importance for every company today, from small to the largest companies, to emphasize the introduction of smart information systems in their operations and to maximally modernize organizational flows using digital tools at their disposal, to create a successful business story.

New consumer habits require an innovative approach to operations. It is time to face the new digital reality and take full advantage of the benefits it offers.

For this purpose, the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region organizes two, two-day Workshops for digital promotion of companies from the South-East Planning Region through online marketing, promotion and sales.

They are intended for everyone who strives for digital modernization, for all businesses that are looking for a new digital way of promotion, as well as new ways to digitally offer their products and services.

Dates of the workshops:
– March 13 and 14, 2023 and
– March 16 and 17, 2023.

Sign up for a free workshop on NEW DIGITAL REALITY at the following link: https://bit.ly/3KWOpzY.

The number of participants is limited.

30 COMPANIES FROM THE SOUTH-EAST REGION WERE INTRODUED TO THE LATEST METHODS FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Online marketing, sales and artificial intelligence are three intertwined fields that have revolutionized the way businesses reach and engage with their customers. As more and more people turn to the Internet to make purchasing decisions, companies have had to adapt their marketing and sales strategies to meet the demands of the digital age. Artificial intelligence has played a significant role in this transformation, providing businesses with powerful tools to optimize their online marketing and sales efforts.

In order to better familiarize and adapt small and medium-sized enterprises with this type of marketing and sales, the Centre for development of the South-East planning region within the project “Business ecosystem as an Integrated System”, which is financed through the INTERREG IPA Programme between Greece and R. N. Macedonia, organized two, two-days workshops on the topic of NEW DIGITAL REALITY, which took place on March 13-14 and March 16-17 2023 at Hotel Sirius, Strumica.

The workshops were intended for members of the business sector who want to increase efficiency in their work by using digital tools, that want to improve their online presence, to start selling their services and products online, but also to learn new methods for the promotion of their products and services in order to be more competitive not only in our market but also at the world level.

The participants had the opportunity to hear more about digital transformation and types of information systems, the most used systems in the digital transformation process, the need to create personalized software during the transformation process. Then, they got acquainted with the trends of digital transformation, Cloud and Hybrid Cloud environment, Xaas, artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as investing in Cybersecurity, etc.

Through the organization of this activity, the project team points out to all companies that digital transformation is not intended only for IT companies, but nowadays it is something that every business should offer, it is a necessity and a strategic tool for the growth and development of the company.

 

Become part of the cross-border network for prevention and response to natural and environmental hazards

At the final conference held by the Association of Southwestern Municipalities for the project “Cross-Border Cooperation in Forest Fire Fighting”, implemented with the support of the cooperation programme Interreg IPA CBC Bulgaria – N. Macedonia 2014-2020, a MEMORANDUM for the creation of a cross-border partnership network for coordination and appropriate response to natural and environmental hazards, with special emphasis and focus on forest fires was signed.
The network unifies a community of institutions, organizations, experts, and individuals from the Republic of N. Macedonia and Republic of Bulgaria that operate in the field of prevention, preparedness, and rapid response in case of natural disasters and fires.

The members of the network will work to achieve the following goals:
• Receiving and sharing of information relating to natural disasters and fires;
• Exchange of experiences, good practice, and knowledge;
• Joint training of the members;
• Assistance and support in the management of natural disasters and fires;
• Support with equipment (donation and usage);
• Providing support and assistance for development of the associations of volunteers;
• Education of the youth;
• Public awareness rising among the population;
• Implementing joint campaigns and exercises;
• Support of the communication with the regional and national protection, rescue, and crisis management services;
• Joint application and implementation of projects regarding innovations, improvements, trainings and other positive effects in the common cause.

To become a member of this network, you need to fill out a MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION and send it to cbc.forest.fire@gmail.com

By filling out and signing the membership form, members accept the principles established in the Memorandum of Cooperation and want to participate in all activities of the network.

The Memorandum and the Form to fill out are available at the following links:

Memorandum of cooperation

Statement of approach – person

Statement of approach – legal entities

Cross-Border Cooperation in Forest Fite Fighting opens up new perspectives for the region

Two years ago, we started the implementation of the project and set several goals for ourselves.
The main goal was to improve the functionality of the firefighting units in the region, as well as replenishment of the equipment which will help them when extinguishing forest fires. Our ambitious plan with highly defined goals was achieved, but also achieved much greater success in the realization of the project.

The implementation of the project for “Cross-Border Cooperation in Forest Fire Fighting” financed by the European Union through the Interreg IPA CBC Programme between R. Bulgaria and R. N. Macedonia 2014-2020, will end in less than a month, but the results achieved in the region will be visible and will enable efficient handling of natural disasters in the longer term.

The most significant goals achieved from this project are the 112 fully equipped firefighters from our region, realized six specialized trainings with certified trainers, public awareness campaign for reducing forest fires and the promotion of volunteerism in the fire service.
The biggest benefit of this project is the signed Memorandum of Cooperation and the creation of a cross-border network for the prevention and response to natural and environmental hazards, between institutions and organizations from the South-East planning region in the Republic of N. Macedonia and the members – municipalities of the Association of Southwestern Municipalities from the Republic of Bulgaria, which promises very productive and timely communication between the institutions – members of the Memorandum of the two countries whose vision is a cross-border network for prevention and fighting with natural and environmental hazards, which includes professionals and experts from institutions, organizations and individuals who will deal with natural and environmental hazards in the cross-border region in joint coordination.