Nedelino Municipal Council has unanimously approved the annual report on the implementation of the municipality’s Integrated Development Plan for 2025. But behind the official language about “a significant number of activities implemented”, the document presents a very different picture: the municipality’s population has fallen by more than 15% in four years, unemployment remains three times the national average, and for key measures covering the economy, agriculture, tourism, education, sport and digital connectivity, the report repeatedly states: “There are no completed or ongoing projects under this measure.”
The report on the implementation of Nedelino’s Integrated Development Plan 2021-2027 for 2025 was submitted by mayor Boyan Kehayov and approved by the Municipal Council at its meeting on 20 April. All 13 councillors voted in favour, with no votes against or abstentions.
The report lists individual infrastructure and social activities, as well as projects that have been launched or prepared. But the economic core of the development plan – investment, jobs, entrepreneurship, modernisation and tourism – remains largely on paper.
A municipality that is shrinking
The most troubling section of the report concerns demographics.
According to its figures, the population of Nedelino municipality fell from 5,552 at the beginning of 2021 to 4,691 at the beginning of 2025. That means the municipality lost 861 residents in four years, or more than 15% of its population.
The decline is faster not only than the national average but also than the rate for Smolyan region. While Bulgaria’s population stood at 93.07% of its 2021 level over the same period, and that of Smolyan region at 88.86%, Nedelino’s fell to 84.49%.
The report itself acknowledges that “the main problem facing the municipality continues to be the demographic one”, directly linking it to the economic environment and high unemployment.
An attempt to identify a “positive trend towards halting depopulation” in 2024 is followed by the admission that this trend reversed in 2025 and the pace of population decline accelerated again.
An economy with low added value
The report says the sectoral structure of businesses in Nedelino remains largely unchanged, with weak industrialisation, a predominance of low-value-added activities and a need for lower-skilled labour.
It lists clothing workshops, small retail businesses and residents employed in construction, mostly outside the municipality.
The document also notes the limited capacity of local businesses, which are predominantly micro-enterprises and cannot generate the scale of development needed for a competitive local economy and sustainable employment.
Under the measure for building and modernising technical infrastructure for business and entrepreneurship, the report simply states: “There are no completed or ongoing projects under the measure.”
The same applies to support for services aimed at developing entrepreneurship and improving the business environment.
The establishment of the Arda–Nedelino Local Action Group is cited as an achievement under the entrepreneurship support measure, although the report adds that the group is expected to become operational in 2026.
Unemployment three times the national average
The average annual unemployment rate in Nedelino in 2025 was 15.70%.
Although that was lower than in 2024, the figure remains severe: almost twice the average for Smolyan region, at 8%, and three times the national rate of 5.20%.
Even more telling is the report’s admission that economic migration conceals part of the real unemployment problem. People leave Nedelino to look for work abroad or elsewhere in Bulgaria, mainly in Sofia.
The report lists cooperation with the Zlatograd Labour Office, programmes for the long-term unemployed, emergency employment groups, “Youth Practices” and “Start in a Career” as employment measures.
These may provide useful social support, but they are not a substitute for actual investment, sustainable businesses and long-term jobs.
Zeros in agriculture and tourism
Perhaps the clearest sign of the gap between planning and implementation is the repeated phrase: “There are no completed or ongoing projects under the measure.”
It appears in sections covering the modernisation and technological upgrading of farms, precision agriculture, organic farming and sustainable forestry.
The same is recorded for the restoration and socialisation of cultural heritage sites.
For the development of different types of tourism, the report cites folklore festivals as a result. These are undoubtedly important to local identity, but on their own they hardly amount to a comprehensive tourism policy.
The measure aimed at improving the professional qualifications of people working in tourism again records no completed or ongoing projects.
Education is one of the few areas where the report identifies broader achievements, including full coverage of children of compulsory pre-school and school age and participation in national programmes.
But under digital transformation of school education, the introduction of innovation, upgrading school facilities and building digital infrastructure, the same phrase appears again: no completed or ongoing projects.
The water problem – piecemeal measures
The report also addresses one of Nedelino’s most persistent problems: water supply.
Under the measure aimed at improving the technical condition of water networks, the municipality lists emergency and organisational measures such as cleaning water intakes, redirecting water resources and issuing an order to reduce waste of drinking water.
But under the measure for improving water supply and drinking-water quality through the construction of drinking-water treatment plants, the report again states that there are no completed or ongoing projects.
There are projects – but not where they matter most
To be fair, the report cannot be described as evidence of a complete lack of activity.
It lists projects and initiatives involving outpatient facilities in smaller settlements, social services, renovation of a community centre, reconstruction of streets and a municipal road, and energy efficiency measures.
But these activities have not changed the broader trajectory.
Nedelino’s biggest problems remain depopulation, the lack of investment, a weak economy and high unemployment. The report itself acknowledges this directly:
“The biggest problem remains the lack of investment and production creating jobs.”
Unanimity without questions
Despite all these figures, the Nedelino Municipal Council approved the report unanimously and without debate.
The local parliament therefore approved a document that simultaneously records a “significant number of activities” and acknowledges that key areas of development have seen little or no implementation.
The annual 2025 report on the Integrated Development Plan is, in effect, a mirror. It shows a municipality maintaining day-to-day services, applying for individual programmes and carrying out piecemeal repairs, but failing to reverse the most important trends: depopulation, economic weakness and a lack of investment.
