04 Feb 2026
The Municipality of Stara Zagora has officially launched its participation in the European Union co-funded Network4Work project, an URBACT IV Transfer Network bringing together seven European cities and regions to improve local employment and strengthen cooperation between institutions, businesses and educational organisations.
Network4Work supports its partners in developing more coordinated and effective approaches to labour market challenges by encouraging cooperation between municipalities, employers, education and training providers, and other key stakeholders.
The first online partner meeting took place on 27 January 2026, marking the start of the 30-month collaboration under the programme. During the meeting, participants were introduced to the successful “Employment Forum” model in Nyíregyháza, Hungary—a proven good practice addressing challenges such as skills mismatches, unemployment, labour market transitions and talent retention. The model combines active cooperation between the municipality, businesses and educational institutions with thematic working groups and the use of digital tools.
As part of the project, each partner city, including Stara Zagora, will establish an URBACT Local Group (ULG) involving representatives of businesses, the non-governmental sector and educational institutions. Key stakeholders will be identified by February–March 2026 and will work together to analyse local challenges and test new forms of cooperation.
Building on this process, and through transnational exchanges of experience and peer learning, each partner will develop a Transfer Plan outlining specific steps to adapt Nyíregyháza’s good practice to the local context.
The expected results include stronger administrative capacity, better alignment between the skills required by employers and those available in the labour market, and the integration of the digital and green transitions into local policies. Through their joint work, the partners will develop strategic and investment plans tailored to the specific needs of each city.
Network4Work brings together partners from seven European cities and regions: Nyíregyháza (Hungary), Stara Zagora (Bulgaria), Pavlos Melas (Greece), Lousada (Portugal), Vilanova i la Geltrú (Spain), Varberg (Sweden), and the Sarajevo Economic Region Development Agency (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The project is led by the Municipality of Nyíregyháza.
The project was approved by the URBACT IV Monitoring Committee on 8 October 2025 and will run until 30 April 2028.
The total project budget is EUR 690,577.51, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) under the URBACT IV programme.
By joining Network4Work, Stara Zagora reinforces its position as an innovative and sustainable city, ready to create new opportunities for learning and employment and contribute to the development of European labour market policies.
Further information about the project will be shared as the network progresses and the partner cities begin implementing their local activities.
