SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
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POLICY ROUNDTABLE IN BRUSSELS HIGHLIGHTS SYNCLUSIVE’S INCLUSIVE LABOUR MARKET INNOVATIONS
The Synclusive project consortium convened in Brussels on September 18, 2025, for a pivotal policy roundtable, bringing together European Commission officials and project partners to present and discuss innovative pathways for labour market inclusion. Hosted in the heart of EU policymaking, the roundtable provided a platform to reflect on early outcomes and foster dialogue on inclusive employment strategies.
Synclusive, a Horizon Europe-funded initiative, aims to improve access to the labour market for vulnerable groups - including the long-term unemployed, people with low educational attainment, individuals with a migrant background, and those aged over 50. The roundtable marked an important milestone, as consortium members shared preliminary findings from the project’s four Living Labs, operating in Sofia (Bulgaria), Kokkola (Finland), Amersfoort (Netherlands), and three pilot locations across Portugal.
Each Living Lab has developed context-specific strategies tailored to local labour market conditions and the needs of target groups. These real-life testing environments have generated valuable insights into the barriers faced by vulnerable individuals and the policies and practices that can enable more equitable access to employment opportunities.
EU institutional representatives from several Directorates-General participated in the event, including DG Research and Innovation (DG RTD), DG Just, REA, and policy officers working on equality, employment, gender, and poverty reduction. Their engagement underscores the growing EU-level commitment to inclusive growth and social cohesion.
Discussions during the roundtable focused on aligning Synclusive’s grassroots findings with broader EU policy frameworks, including the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Union of Skills and the forthcoming European Ani-Poverty Strategy. Key themes included lifelong learning, creating local coalitions, inclusive hiring practices, cross-sectoral cooperation, and the role of data in identifying and addressing structural inequalities.
As the project moves into its next phase, Synclusive partners emphasized the importance of continued collaboration between research, practice, and policy. The insights generated from the Living Labs will contribute to the development of scalable models that can be adapted across diverse European regions.
For more information about Synclusive and its upcoming activities, visit https://synclusiveproject.eu and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101094526
GOOD PRACTICES FOR COOLING URBAN SPACES
Be Ready project partnership, coordinated by Sofia Development Association, developed a collection of practical solutions from the Danube region cities how to mitigate urban heat effect and improve outdoor thermal comfort. The examples come from 21 cities in 11 countries and present different approaches: from increased green spaces and vegetation, to using cool and reflective surfaces on buildings and pavements and implementing water features. Diverse practices are presented: creating water surfaces, opening a garden education center, developing “mobile forests”, cooling art installations, parishes open doors and many more. All practices have one thing in common: they involve residents in planning and implementing the cooling strategies to ensure solutions are effective and tailored to local needs.
The Mapping report with good practices is available here.
To stay informed, please visit the website and the social media accounts of the BeReady project: website (https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/be-ready ), Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu, LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project/.
Be Ready is an INTERREG Danube Region project co-financed by the European Union.
MEASUREMENTS UNDER THE INNOVATIVE AEROSOLFD PROJECT HAVE STARTED IN THE SOFIA METRO
Thanks to the partnership with Sofia Municipality and “Metropolitan” EAD, the first measurements under the European projectAeroSolfdhave started in Sofia. The project aims to reduce air pollution in enclosed transport environments. The measurement campaign focuses on assessing the exposure of passengers and metro staff to fine particulate matter and brake emissions from trains.
The project is implemented with the participation of international partners, and the official partner for Bulgaria is the Sofia Development Association. Sofia and Lisbon are the two demonstration cities in Europe where innovative technological solutions to improve air quality will be tested in real-life conditions.
More information is available at:https://aerosolfd-project.eu
The project is funded under HORIZON Innovation Actions.
B40 NETWORK LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND MIGRATION WORKING GROUP
After Sofia took the presidency of B40 Balkan Cities Network in the beginning of 2025, Sevdalina Voynova with Sofia Development Association started chairing the Local Democracy and Migration working group on behalf of Sofia Municipality. After a couple of virtual meetings, the city representatives in the working groups came to Sofia for a face-to-face gathering to share experiences and best practices, to work on joint projects to address shared challenges.
Among the good practices shared by Sofia were te grantmaking program of Sofia Municipal Council entitled Europe, which was presented by Ekaterina Yordanova, deputy chairperson of the programme council, and the disaster management department with its training grounds and volunteer unit, presented by its director Krasimir Dimitrov.
Based on Sofia proposal, the B40 member cities decided to establish an annual award for member cities to recognise successful experiences and public policies on citizen participation, community engagement, democratic innovation, public deliberation, and open government. The first edition will be launched in July inviting good practices in 6 categories: Participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups; Urban management and public spaces; Digital citizenship; Civic education; Volunteering and co-creation; Climate adaptation and justice.
The initiative will raise awareness of the value of active citizenship in local democracy and advance access to resources and innovative practices, inspire and raise the profile of B40 cities. It will be a special Sofia legacy for the B40 network.
SOFIA CLIMATE SANDBOX WORKSHOP
Open air co-working space for civil society organizations, heat asylum for the community, community vegetable garden, community rain collectors, seating area with tables and board games, a demonstration site showcasing urban heat islands mitigation measures, yard art residency and environment civic education classroom – these are just some of the co-creation ideas how to transform a neglected municipal yard on 55 Veslets Street, Sofia. This Climate sandbox workshop was organized by Sofia Development Association and Bureau for Integration and Social Innovations in the framework of Be Ready project. It brought together a variety of stakeholders to design together a road map for Sofia pilot project implementation.
The pilot venue is selected to be in area of Lavov most (‘Lion’s Bridge’), one of the major crossroads in Sofia, in Draz mahala, close to the central railway station and central bus station. The pilot implementation, aiming to create a climate refuge from the urban heat islands, will start in July 2025, using the participative approach of its ideation and co-creation of the urban environment.
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
GENDERED COALITION PROJECT HELD A NATIONAL TRAINING ON DISMANTLING STEREOTYPES AND COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS IN PLOVDIV
On April 23, 2025, Plovdiv hosted a national training dedicated to the theme “Dismantling Stereotypes: How to Build Effective Campaigns Against Disinformation?” The event was part of the initiatives under the GenderED Coalition Project and brought together 20 participants from diverse personal and professional backgrounds. It was organized by the Bureau for Integration and Social Innovation and the Sofia Development Association, with the National Alliance for Volunteer Action serving as host.
The seminar opened with welcoming remarks from representatives of the two partner organizations – Denitsa Lozanova and Mina Antonova – who presented the goals of the project and invited participants to engage with the program. The seminar was facilitated by Hermina Emiryán.
The first session featured an interactive exercise in which participants assumed different social roles to explore how stereotypes can influence the perception of individuals in society.
After a short coffee break, the program continued with a presentation by Marina Kissiova de Heus from the “Ekaterina Karavelova” Foundation, focused on building networks and conducting public campaigns. Topics included practical examples and opportunities for inter-organizational cooperation.
In the next exercise, participants explored how communication messages are formed and perceived by society. The final session was led by Asya Velichkova – a digital marketing expert – who presented approaches for creating online campaigns with a focus on reaching the right target groups.
The seminar is part of the GenderED Coalition Project, which is co-funded by the European Union.
