A year after marking its 25th anniversary, the Association of South-Western Municipalities (ASWM) has grown from 26 to 30 members. Yakoruda and Samokov were admitted over the summer, and Radomir and Tran followed at the latest meeting of the ASWM Management Board, held in Blagoevgrad on 29 September 2026.

The new members widen the Association's reach across the region and give more municipalities access to what ASWM offers: expert support, international partners, joint projects and help in securing EU funding.

Over the past year, ASWM has been running European projects on adaptation to extreme heat, disaster preparedness, green budgeting, citizen participation and equality, and the circular economy and waste management. Work is also under way on new partnerships, both between municipalities and with organisations abroad.

At the Blagoevgrad meeting, the Board reviewed progress on ongoing projects. These include InDiMaND, which helps local authorities improve how they prepare for and coordinate disaster response, and HeatSafe, which looks for practical ways to cope with extreme heat. Board members also discussed a new project under the Interreg VI-A Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027 Programme on the circular economy, waste management and responsible consumption, in which 12 municipalities from the region are expected to take part.

Much of the discussion focused on issues municipalities are dealing with right now: drafting the 2027 budgets, implementing the 2026 Municipal Investment Programme, the new waste fee model, water and sewerage networks, disaster preparedness, digitalisation and the scope for shared services between municipalities.

The Board also looked ahead to EU funding after 2027, stressing the need to identify strategic investments and joint project ideas early, particularly in climate adaptation, water infrastructure, tourism, mobility, digitalisation, social services and local economic development.

With 30 municipalities now on board, ASWM's role as a platform for cooperation among local authorities in Southwestern Bulgaria keeps growing.