The European Union finances 18 local self-government projects with approximately EUR 3 million that are mainly related to property management. Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has highlighted that this is important for changing the investment and business environment in cities and municipalities.
Projects for which contracts were officially signed today in the Deputies' Club in Belgrade have been approved within the Exchange 5 Grant Scheme Programme - Support to Local Self-Governments.
The Minister has explained that Exchange 5 is not only a programme related to asset management, but also to strategic planning and programme budgeting that has been an obligation since 2015.
She has conveyed that currently around 60 percent of local self-governments are presenting performance results and carrying out programme budgeting, which, according to her, must be improved.
Speaking about property management, the Minister has said that it is extremely important to delineate ownership of publicly owned assets at the central, provincial and local levels, stating that there have been legal-property issues before.
“The project will help identify what you have at your disposal and what the development potential of your city, your municipality and region is. Only when you identify and delimit ownership can you change both the investment and business environment. This is the goal of European integration - sustainable and regional development, which means new jobs and more employment opportunities”, stated Joksimović.
According to her, this is what the citizens expect most from the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
“In this sense, the processes of European integration and use of pre-accession funds are inextricably linked, as are preparations for what will follow after membership”, Joksimović has said, pointing to the importance of the cohesion policy that implies the use of structural funds, which, in her words, are several times larger than those Serbia presently uses as a candidate country.
“And that is why it is so crucial that you are truly interested in these topics. It is a task for you, it is not just a task for the central government, Joksimović has told local self-government representatives at the Deputies' Club.
She has highlighted the importance of synergy between the state, the provincial and the local level, inter alia, due to Chapter 22 on regional policy and coordination of EU structural funds, as well as due to the increase in funds presently available.
Joksimović has stated that local self-governments need to increase their interest and capacities and also identify available development funds, because, as she has indicated, there is no need for them to borrow when they can obtain funds in another way - through EU funds.
“I think that this year may be defined as the year when we will work on getting closer to future cohesion policy and raising capacities; therefore, asset management will mean a lot in this regard”, said Joksimović.
She has recalled that the EU cohesion policy is actually a policy of solidarity in terms of reducing inequality in the development of European regions, adding that Serbia’s goal at this stage of the pre-accession process is to properly prepare for membership and make a painless and successful transition regarding the EU structural funds and cohesion policy. She has added that local units, which will be one of the main bearers of the transformational development process and regional development policy, have a special task in this regard.
Source: Tanjug
