On 29 March 2022 in the Municipality of Panagyurishte, and 11 April 2022 in the Municipality of Pernik, the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum (BEMF) in cooperation with the Bulgarian Association of Towns and Regions, organised specialosed trainings for local policy makers and stakeholders on smart grids topics.

The training sessions, held as a main output of the STRIDE Project, were opened Mr. Nikola Belishki (Mayor of the Municipality of Panagyurishte), Mr. Stefan Krastev (Deputy Mayor of Municipality of Pernik) and Mr. Ivan Hinovski (Chairman of the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum).

The Director of the Sustainable Energy Development Agency, Mr. Ivaylo Alexiev, then presented the latest policies for energy planning in Bulgaria. Experts then discussed basic definitions and concepts for smart grids. The draft STRIDE Strategy and Action Plan concepts were discussed with municipality officials, representatives from the business and other interested organisations.

The local public authorities and stakeholders have satisfactory knowledge on local energy resources and their potentials. However, they require still more information and know-how in regards to:

• legal basis and requirements for establishment of energy cooperatives and public-private partnerships, and legal relations regarding smart cities and communities;
• funding sources and incentives;
• technical and consultancy expertise on energy efficiency measures, the potential of certain pilot areas, appropriate equipment and technology to be installed.

Regional training materials on smart grids are published on the BEMF website: http://bulenergyforum.org/en/document/presentations-stride

The STRIDE Project is co-funded by the European Union funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI) through the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme.