Project "BRIDGE (Bulgarian-Romanian Initiative for Democracy as a Guard-post of Europe)" BG2005/017 455.01.03.01.10

Beneficiary: "Angel Kanchev" University of Rousse, represented by BRIE

BRIDGE is a project of „Angel Kanchev” University of Ruse, represented by BRIE-Ruse and its Romanian partner BRIE-Giurgiu, a branch of the Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest. As a transnational network, Bulgarian-Romanian Interuniversity Europe Center (BRIE) involves German universities, too and was founded in 2002 following the blueprint of the German Rectors’ Conference in the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.  

BRIDGE raises the level of local democracy through building a transnational team of 18 Bulgarian and 18 Romanian border police servants from Ruse and Giurgiu, who are being prepared to participate in decision making regarding the membership of  Bulgaria and Romania in the European Union and the prospective implementation of Schengen rules in the two neighbouring countries. This transnational team  is becoming an  “agent of change”, who thinks globally  and  acts locally  to guarantee both, the security of an EU internal border, and the free movement of EU citizens. The members of the team are being encouraged to tolerate trust, to develop a culture of cooperation, and to support all societal structures and actors in their efforts to create a common identity of the areas along one of the largest borders in the European Union.    

BRIDGE provides this transnational team with specific and generic competences in the framework of one-semester post-graduate programme in European integration, relevant to the needs for transformation of the border governance. Thus, BRIDGE enhances the administrative capacity of the two border police services and enables them to take on the obligations of the Schengen Agreement. 

Contacts:             
H.A. Prof. M. Kornazheva - project  leader;   
Prof. Dr J. Popova and Prof.Dr. C. Apostol  - project coordinators

BRIDGE office:    
55, Alexandrovsta St, 7000 Ruse;              
tel: +35982/ 82 56 67; fax: 82 56 62;                
brie-bg@ru.acad.bg