Martina Gancheva, BTA, March 19, 2026
Summary
In an interview with BTA on March 19, 2026, Svetoslav Kyosev, Vice President of the Romanian-Bulgarian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and a founding partner of the initiative, detailed the significance of the newly established “East Gate” European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) in Bucharest. He framed the entity as a direct solution to the administrative and legal barriers currently hindering cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Core Purpose and Legal Nature
Kyosev emphasizes that “East Gate” is not an informal network but a legal entity of public interest based on EU legal instruments. It possesses its own legal personality, allowing it to:
- Overcome borders to foster common interests in transport, investment, and development.
- Prepare, manage, and implement joint cross-border projects effectively.
- Operate under a permanent institutional mechanism rather than temporary, “project-by-project” partnerships, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Governance and Structure
The grouping is designed for both representation and operational efficiency. The management levels include:
- General Assembly: Operates on a “one member, one vote” principle to ensure balance among the four nations.
- Board of Directors: Responsible for strategic decision-making.
- Executive Board and Director: Handles daily operational management.
- National Committees and Secretariats: Established in each participating country to provide localized coordination and oversight.
Bulgaria’s Strategic Role and Benefits
Bulgaria participates as a full member, with its involvement integrated directly into the governance model through a dedicated national college “Bulgaria” and a national secretariat. Kyosev highlights a twofold advantage for the country:
- Strategic Positioning: Bulgaria gains a seat at a platform connecting the EU with Moldova and Ukraine regarding energy, digitalization, and public services.
- Practical Access: Bulgarian municipalities and public institutions receive easier access to project preparation, technical assistance, training, and representation before European institutions.
Project Focus and Funding
The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation “East Gate” will focus on large-scale infrastructure, healthcare, education, and environmental projects. Crucially, the grouping is empowered to apply for and manage significant EU funding streams, including:
- Interreg, Horizon Europe, and LIFE.
- Erasmus+, Creative Europe, and Digital Europe.
- The Connecting Europe Facility.
Kyosev concludes that the initiative fills a critical gap by providing the “operational level” and technical expertise previously missing in the region, transforming political frameworks into a real capacity for collective action.
Article
The “East Gate” European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, which was established today in Bucharest, is the answer to a real problem: the borders between Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine create administrative and legal barriers precisely where there are common interests—transportation, connectivity, services, investment, and development. This was stated in an interview with BTA by Svetoslav Kyosev—a founding partner from the Bulgarian side and vice president of the Romanian-Bulgarian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce.
He defines the group as an EU legal instrument through which public institutions from different countries create a joint structure with its own legal personality. According to him, its purpose is not only to coordinate, but also to prepare, manage, and effectively implement joint cross-border projects and initiatives.
“East Gate” is not an informal network, but a legal entity of public interest, headquartered in Romania, which will operate in accordance with the rules of the European regulation on European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation, its own statutes and convention, as well as in accordance with Romanian law as the law of the host state,” emphasizes Svetoslav Kyosev.
He explains that the management structure is organized on several levels: the General Assembly, in which each member has a single vote; the Board of Directors for strategic decisions; the Executive Board and the director for operational management; plus national committees and national secretariats in each country. According to him, the structure is designed not only for representativeness but also for day-to-day project work, coordination, and oversight.
According to Svetoslav Kyosev, the structure provides a permanent institutional mechanism, rather than ad hoc “project-by-project” partnerships, so that cooperation will be more sustainable.
As for Bulgaria’s participation, it is envisaged as a full member of the four-party structure.
“The Convention provides for the participation of Bulgarian municipalities and other eligible public-law entities, and the Statute provides for a separate national college ‘Bulgaria’ and a national secretariat. ‘This means that Bulgaria’s participation is not peripheral but is integrated into the governance model itself. The participation of Bulgarian members is carried out through the decision of the respective local council and the national approval procedure,” explains Svetoslav Kiossev.
According to him, the advantage for Bulgaria is twofold.
“On the one hand, Bulgaria gains a seat in a platform that connects the EU with Moldova and Ukraine on issues such as transport, energy, digitalization, and public services. On the other hand, Bulgarian participants benefit from easier access to project preparation, partnerships, and technical assistance. The statute provides full members with access to project participation, technical assistance from the secretariats, training courses, exchange of experience, and representation before European institutions. “This is a direct practical advantage for Bulgarian municipalities and public institutions,” he argues.
The main focus will be on large-scale cross-border and transnational projects with a real impact, related to infrastructure, local services, education, health, culture, tourism, the environment, energy, digitalization, and good governance.
“The convention expressly states that the The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation may submit applications or participate in Interreg, NDICI/ENI, IPA, Horizon Europe, LIFE, Erasmus+, Creative Europe, Digital Europe, and the Connecting Europe Facility, as well as act not only as a partner but also as a lead partner or even the sole beneficiary,” explains Svetoslav Kyosev.
The balance among the four countries will be ensured by the “one member, one vote” principle in the General Assembly, the national colleges, and the secretariats in each country.
“The region needs not just a political framework, but a real capacity for action. “East Gate” creates exactly that—a common structure with a technical team, expertise, and permanent contacts among partners, capable of preparing, coordinating, and managing joint initiatives on a daily basis. It is precisely this “operational level” that has been missing until now,” concludes Svetoslav Kyosev.
Photo: Svetoslav Kyosev (source: Facebook/Svetoslav Kyosev)
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