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Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has stated today that Hungary has provided significant donation and medical assistance in the form of 200,000 masks and 10,000 protective suits to help Serbia’s healthcare system in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi, and Head of UNOPS Office in Serbia Michela Telatin have signed today in Belgrade a grant agreement, worth EUR 4.9 million, to help Serbia in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant will enable the purchase of ventilators, tests and protective laboratory equipment. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been designated as the implementing partner.

The European Union has provided significant support and assistance to Serbia in the fight against the coronavirus, Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has stated today, stressing that it is only through efficient solidarity, constant coordination and joint work that Serbia and EU countries can more easily and successfully overcome the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two more planes landed today at Nikola Tesla Airport, carrying medical supplies that Serbia axquired to combat COVID-19. The European Union fully funds the flight costs as part of the 15 mil EUR package for immediate response assistance to help Serbia fight COVID-19.​​​​​ These flights, organized by UN Development Programme, arrange for supplies and equipment to be transferred in the quickest way by large cargo planes which maximise space and save precious time and costs.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has addressed the EU Delegation to Serbia today with a request for EUR 7.5 million to be allocated from the Programme of Civil Protection and Strengthening Disaster Resilience implemented by the UNDP to ensure additional logistical support for 10 flights of cargo planes that will transport medical devices and equipment to Serbia.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has had a conference call today with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó.​ Joksimović and Szijjártó have exchanged information on the measures being implemented in Serbia and Hungary regarding the fight against COVID-19. They have particularly discussed the problems many countries face in terms of purchasing medical equipment and the ways the two countries could cooperate in that regard. 

Today, a second cargo Boeing 747  landed at Nikola Tesla Airport from Kerala, with 90 tonnes load of medical protective equipment bought by Serbia to combat COVID-19.​​​​​​ The cost for the transport of the equipment is fully funded by the European Union as part of the 93 mil EUR package for Serbia announced by the European Union, which provides immediate as well as short and medium term assistance to help Serbia to fight COVID-19.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has stated that the European Commission will approve the reallocation of IPA funds for Serbia and ongoing projects, worth 94 million EUR, for the purpose of supporting the health system in order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has welcomed messages jointly sent by David McAllister, the Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Policy, Thomas Tobe, the Chair of the Committee on Development, and Johan Van Overtveldt, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Budgets, to Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, as well as to the competent commissioners: Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen. The letter states that Member States, as well as candidates and potential candidates in the immediate neighbourhood, will be able to tackle one of the greatest challenges in modern history only through full solidarity and the pooling of efforts and all resources in Europe. In this regard, Minister Joksimović has expressed her hope that the European Commission will respond with concrete measures in order to provide additional financial support to both Serbia and others in the WB, both for the purposes of combatting the pandemic and the huge efforts that will be necessary for economic and social recovery after the pandemic.

Minister of European Integration, National IPA Coordinator and Coordinator of Donor and Development Assistance Jadranka Joksimović and the Ministry of European Integration are continuously working with all partners – the European Union, the Kingdom of Norway, the People's Republic of China and other partners, in order to secure funding for the procurement of medical equipment and to procure the said medical equipment, as well as to ensure technical and expert assistance to support Serbia's healthcare system in combating the coronavirus pandemic and preventing its consequences for Serbian society and citizens.

Today, the European Union has provided EUR 7.5 million of assistance to Serbia aimed at strengthening the capacities and supporting activities regarding the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The agreement under which EU assistance is provided to the Serbian Government has been signed by the Minister of European Integration, Jadranka Joksimović, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi, and UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia, Francine Pickup.

“The European Union is a partner to Serbia in the fight against the pandemic of the coronavirus at a time when the largest EU countries are facing the same challenges,” Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has said today, stressing the importance of solidarity and joint struggle of all European nations to overcome the crisis the entire world is facing, with as few consequences as possible.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović and MEI are in constant contact with international partners to identify concrete instruments of support to national institutions involved in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

In order to undertake further measures for preventing and tackling the consequences of the Coronavirus epidemic in the Republic of Serbia and the region, the Ministry of European Integration (MEI), led by Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, has mediated, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, in organising a special eConference meeting of Serbian and EU experts dealing with COVID-19 suppression measures.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has sent today an official letter to European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Olivér Várhelyi, appealing to the EU to enable the reallocation of unused funds from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) for the purpose of undertaking measures to prevent and tackle the consequences of the Coronavirus in the Republic of Serbia.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has met today with Klaus Fiesinger, Regional Director for Southeast Europe of the Hanns-Seidel Foundation. They have discussed the process of European integration, the reforms Serbia is implementing on the European path, the issue of the current migrant crisis, the situation in the region, and further cooperation between the Ministry of European Integration and the Hanns-Seidel Foundation.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović and United Nations Resident Coordinator in Serbia Françoise Jacob have met today to continue and concretise the talks initiated at the beginning of the year regarding cooperation arrangements for the period 2021–2025 and future support of the United Nations Country Team in the Republic of Serbia.

For the purchase of equipment for 56 kindergartens in 55 municipalities, particularly those less developed, Serbia has received around EUR 1 million from EU pre-accession funds (IPA 2014) and additional EUR 870,000 for the training of teaching staff, as stated by Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović.

European System of Central Banks a Major Partner to Help National Bank of Serbia in Meeting EU standards

The EU Delegation to the Republic of Serbia, the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) marked today, on 6 March 2020, the successful completion of another joint project aimed at further enhancing the NBS capacity in the process of EU accession. The EU financed the project with a budget of 800,000 Euros.