1. Basic Information

1.1 Desiree Number:
1.2 Title: Building of an International Trade Fair in Vidin.
-Sector: PR; SME's and SO- Social development.
1.3 Location:
-Bulgaria, North western region, District of Vidin, Municipality of Vidin.

2. Objectives

2.1 Overall Objective(s): Stimulating of an economic collaboration with Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Rumania and Republic of Yugoslavia.

2.2 Project purpose:
-Encouragement businesses for free exchange of goods and services.
-Expenditure of the economical relations and the trade among the three countries and creation of conditions for development of the entrepreneurship for the population of the three regions.
-Stimulating of Small and Medium sized enterprises.

2.3 Accession Partnership and NPAA priority.
-Trade developing and export.
-Decreasing of the percentage of the unemployment in the region.
-Raising and promoting the Small and medium sized enterprises production.
-Achieving the European standards in the market and exhibition trade, expenditure and popularization of the manufactures of the countries in the Euro-region.
-Creation of conditions for strengthening the entrepreneurship and the self-employment
-Development of cross-border collaboration as a factor for mutual support of the three countries of the Euro-region, in the process of the Euro-integration.
-According to the Statute of the Euro-region, a basic sphere of interaction are the economical contacts and exchange of goods, transfer of know-how.

2.4 Contribution to National Development Plan
-Program 3 of the NPRD - Opening of the national space and solving of problems of the regional and local development through cross-border collaboration.

2.5 Cross Border Impact
-Raising the standard of living of the population of the three countries on the basis of trade, production and the tourism.

3. Description

3.1 Background and justification:
-The appearing of the idea for the development of that project is due to the wish of the Vidin Municipality to renew the traditional Vidin Trade Fair, which started initially in 1898.
-The current project is created together with the Agency for regional development and Business centre- Vidin. A research and an analysis for the need of a Season Exhibition Centree has been done, by surveying of 220 companies in the country and the border countries.

3.2 Linked activities:
-The step that we offer to be taken for the revival of the region is related to the results of the social-economical research of the French Agency for Development and the Program of UN for Bulgaria. The first Report is available for the Delegation of the European Commission and the second one is in the Central of UNDP in Sofia. The two Reports contain a part - strengths with the geographic potential of the region, being close to R. Yugoslavia and R. Rumania. This is the main premise for the current project, as though as the excellent relations with the corresponding Municipalities, including the local Authorities, the Chambers of Commerce, the NGO's and the business. The none-explored potential in the trade relations is obvious in the number of companies - participants in the current exhibitions, taking place in the Sports Hall -Festivalna" in Vidin in the autumn and in the spring. The average number of companies from Kalafat / -Romania / and Zaichar / Yugoslavia /, which present their goods and productions is 50.

3.3 Results:
-Giving opportunities for exhibitions and trade of goods, productions and services.
-Development of congress and trade tourism.
-Raising of the exchange of goods between the three countries.
" Presentation and transfer of know-how and different technologies of the producers in the country and from European countries.
-Raising of the opportunities for trade realization of the manufacture and industrial productions.
-Delivery of access to information for the Bulgarian and foreign partners.
-Raising of the Municipality income and citizens standard income.

3.4 Activities:
- Construction of:
-Trade business center with a hotel part;
-Administrative Informational Center ;
-Chamber for samples of the main kinds of productions;
-Agricultural zone ;
-Storage accommodation;
-Attraction and amusement zone;
-Pedestrian areas and grassing;
-Parking places ;
- Monitoring;
- Training.

3.5 Lessons learned: :
-The opinion of the community and the partners from the countries, with which Vidin Municipality is going to collaborate in realization of the project, has been taken.
-There are opportunities for co-funding of the project by the public and private sector.
-A system for management and monitoring has been developed.
-The stages are in conformity with the competition requirements in recruiting the contractor. If the Bulgarian legislation doesn't require a competition procedure, offers will be handed over.

4. Institutional Framework
-The Low for regulating of territories and all others Bulgarian lows.
-Other partners and collaborators of the project - Ministry of the Regional Development, Agency for small and mean level companies, Agency for regional development and business center - Vidin, Vidin Chamber of Commerce, District Administration, Kalafat Municipality - Republic of Rumania, Zaichar Municipality - Republic of Yugoslavia, representatives of business from the three regions.
-According of the Bulgarian legislation the contractor is recruited in a competition procedure, after nomination of a company - contractor in an open international auction, and the Contracting Authority is the Funding agency, co-ordinated with the management team. The privacy is municipal, ordered by the Vidin Municipal Council and managed by the Local Authorities, represented by the Mayor of Vidin Municipality.

5. Detailed Budget:

	Phare	Support in milion euro
	Investment Support (1)	Institution Building (2)	Total Phare (=I+IB)	National Cofinancing*	IFI*	TOTAL
Contracts	2,3	0,5	2, 8	0,7	0,8	4,3
Total	2,3	0,5	2, 8	0,7	0,8	4,3

6. Implementation Arrangements

6.1 Implementing Agency
-Ministry of Regional Development
-Address: Sofia 1202, 17-19 St.St. Kiril and Metodii str.

6.2 Non-standard aspects
-N.A.

6.3 Contracts
-Number of contracts are for the construction work, monitoring and ect.

7. Implementation Schedule

7.1 Start of tendering/call for proposals
-The starting date of the competition for the design - October 2003

7.2 Start of project activity
-expected date of commencement of first contract/grant scheme - March 2004.

7.3 Project Completion
-expected date of last payment under last contract/grant - December 2005

8. Equal Opportunity

9. Environment
-Regulated under the Bulgarian lows.

10. Rates of return
-IRR.

11. Investment criteria
11.1 Catalytic effect:
-The project will catalyse an economical collaboration between R. Bulgaria, R. Romania and R. Yugoslavia. All the activities which will be carried out will have the purpose to get the Balkan peoples closer and to present them in Europe.

11.2 Co-financing:
-Other Funds will be provided by the National, Municipality and Private businesses' resources.

11.3 Additionality:
-The business society in the three countries and the non-governmental branches for economical development are interested.

11.4 Project readiness and Size:
-The project will ready to be financed by Phare in December 2003.

11.5 Sustainability:
-Economy and social development of region.

11.6 Compliance with state aids provisions.
-Contract for collaboration between Bulgaria, Rumania and Serbia has been established.

11.7 Contribution to National Development Plan
-The project has direct contribution for the social bringing together of the countries on the cost of Danube River. It is the part of the whole strategy for the regional development, which can be fulfilled. It is defined in program 3 of the National plan for regional development.

12 . Conditionality and sequencing
-There is no conditionality in completion of the stages of the project, the activities are fully possible to be completed.
-It is expected that the tourism increase, will reflect the quantities of solid living wastes. This effect was reported in the biggest infrastructure project for the Bridge over the Danube river between Vidin and Kalafat in the Report of the French Agency for development. The Report is available in the Office of the Delegation of the EU in Bulgaria.