The manifestation "Telling the European Story - Living Library" was opened on 12 May at the St. Sava’s Plateau in Belgrade, in front of the National Library of Serbia, within the European Week in Vračar. The event was organised by the Libero Citizens' Association and the City Municipality of Vračar, in cooperation with partners and representatives of local self-governments from Skopje, Ljubljana, Brčko District, and the international organisation from Brussels.
The manifestation was opened by Acting Assistant Minister of European Integration Tamara Delić, President of the Assembly of Vračar CM Mihailo Grupković, Head of Information, Communication and Media of the EU Delegation to Serbia Paul-Henri Presset, Director of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society of the Government of Serbia Žarko Stepanović, Deputy Director of the National Library Vladan Trijić, and President of the Libero Citizens' Association Jelena Spasović.
"Telling the European Story - Living Library is one of those manifestations that open the door to the European world, and the part of that European world, with national and cultural identities, is actually you, because the process of European integration implies the participation of all and belongs to all of us," said Assistant Minister of European Integration Tamara Delić addressing numerous citizens at the opening of the event.
She said that the Ministry of European Integration was happy to support the realisation of this event and pointed out that the representatives of the Ministry were present to talk with the citizens about different concepts, EU policies and values related to the European Union and the process of European integration of Serbia.
"The very concept of the ‘living library telling the story of the EU’ is a good opportunity to exchange ideas, hear the opinions and experiences of peers coming from different countries, to learn from each other and to make progress together. For this purpose, we have provided free educational material for you, and the Ministry will also take part in the rest of the programme through participating in workshops in Vračar schools. In addition, for the youngest residents of Vračar, we have prepared an educational theatre performance on the importance of environmental protection and recycling," the Assistant Minister stated, and invited all fellow citizens, guests, and participants from B&H, Slovenia, Macedonia and civil society organisations network from Brussels to get a closer view of the advantages that Serbia and all its citizens have from the European integration process, and to become familiar with what has been done and what lies ahead.
More than 300 young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Belgium and Serbia attended the celebration of the European Week in Vračar, where they had the opportunity to get to know each other, to socialise, to share their experiences, and to learn more about the process and the importance of EU integration and the European Union. Throughout the event, all interested citizens could borrow a "living book" for free and talk with experts about the European Union-related topic they are interested in, challenge prejudices, and get informed about the way in which the membership in the European Union will affect their life.
Representatives of the Ministry of European Integration, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Council of Europe, EU Info Centre, Regional Agency for Development and European Integration, and Institute for European Affairs, institutions that also support the realisation of this event, took part in talks with young people and other fellow citizens.
