Ј. Joksimović and Schieb: Another successful year of development cooperation between Serbia and Germany

December 13 2019 | Belgrade

Ј. Joksimović and Schieb: Another successful year of development cooperation between Serbia and Germany

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović and German Ambassador Thomas Schieb have attended the ceremony marking the end of another successful year of development cooperation and partnership between the two countries.

Jadranka Joksimović, who is a coordinator of development cooperation, has emphasised that Germany is a vital political and a reliable bilateral partner, as confirmed by the fact that Germany has invested over EUR 1.9 billion in Serbia through numerous development projects. She has specified that in the period 2014–2019 alone, the total development assistance amounted to nearly EUR 660 million, of which EUR 160 million was provided in grants. In 2019, the German Government has allocated the so-far largest annual amount of development assistance to Serbia worth EUR 230 million, of which EUR 186 million at successfully completed negotiations held in Berlin on 19 and 20 November.

Thanking Germany for its overall assistance in the European integration process, the Minister has explained that the development cooperation between Serbia and Germany in the previous period has been aimed at realising long-term goals in several key areas agreed between the two sides and defined in the FR Germany’s development cooperation strategy. These include support to further development of democracy and the rule of law, development of good governance, development of market economy, environment and energy, and to strengthening of regional cooperation.

Joksimović has emphasised that, in the area of technical cooperation, numerous reforms have been initiated and completed, and many results have been achieved, which are vital for the development of the Republic of Serbia, its approximation to the EU and a better life of its citizens. In the process of accession negotiations with the European Commission, Germany has been providing concrete support to Serbia through technical cooperation programmes and projects related to the preparation of accession negotiations, supporting specific negotiation chapters, including the preparation of the legal and institutional framework, and the establishment of structures and appropriate capacities for effective use of EU structural funds in the future

According to the Minister, a particularly important fact is that, in early 2020, the Government of FR Germany will initiate a revision of the current strategy for development cooperation with the Republic of Serbia for the period 2016–2020, where the results of this process will form the basis for future development cooperation. She expects that a consultative process will be established with the German partners as during the development of the current strategy, and that a development strategy will be jointly created through a constructive dialogue, which will be in line both with the key areas of interest for German development cooperation, and with the key national development priorities of Serbia.

The Minister expects that the future cooperation, just as the previous, will continue in a spirit of open dialogue and mutual commitment to achieving significant results in sustainable social and economic development of the Republic of Serbia, through sector reforms guided by the EU integration process, and its further growth as a modern and progressive society.

In addition to representatives of the Embassy of Germany, the ceremony was attended by partners from the German Organisation for Technical Cooperation (GIZ) and the German Development Bank (KfW).

Source: Tanjug