EUR 4.77 million for cross-border projects in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

December 03 2019 | Zlatibor

EUR 4.77 million for cross-border projects in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Conference on the Second Call for Proposals within the IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014–20200, was held today on Zlatibor, organized by the Ministry of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia and the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the Joint Technical Secretariat of the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014–2020.

The conference was opened by the Assistant Minister of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia, Mihajilo Dašić. Dašić emphasized that this ceremony demonstrated in a practical manner how the partnership between the Government of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and local governments covered by this programme and the European Union functioned in the implementation of projects vital for citizens.

“Cohesion policy is one of the most important EU policies, which is funded by a third of the Union's common budget and provides supports to a large number of projects across the EU. Its main objective is to contribute to economic, social and territorial cohesion, namely to reduce inequalities between regions, as well as to encourage sustainable development”, said Dašić.

Furthermore, Nada Bojanić, Head of the Unit for Territorial Cooperation Programmes at the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also addressed the conference. On this occasion, she invited attendees to enter into partnerships in order to develop joint projects and solve common problems. She also announced the continuation of the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Serbia–Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely public consultations regarding the drafting of the Programme for the period 2021–2027, which are expected to be held next year.

The attendees were also addressed by Steffen Hudolin, Head of Operations II at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia. Hudolin emphasized the significance of cross-border programmes in general, stressing that, through these programmes, the European Union promoted cross-border regions much more directly and provided support to their economic, territorial and social development. He further stressed that the success and impact of the programme depended on the quality of the projects and that the image that these projects would create over the following two years would influence how the programme would look like in the next financial perspective. He eventually invited all non-profit organizations to submit their applications through an open competition.

Marko Jovanović, Assistant Minister of Finance for Contracting and Financing Programmes from European Union Funds, concluded that the benefits of a cross-border cooperation programme were reflected in the creation of a common view on the future and objectives that were being achieved in the present. The identified points of intersection of the cross-border area’s potential instigate addressing common challenges relating to the development of the territory, exchange of learned and inherited experience and knowledge, as well as setting the aforementioned in the function of a good reputation and image and competitiveness of the border territory.

After the conference, an info session was organized regarding the publishing of the Call. The event was attended by more than 80 representatives from various institutions, who had the opportunity to acquire more information about the Call. The CFCU and the Joint Technical Secretariat prepared several presentations with useful information.

The Second Call for Proposals under the IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014-2020 was launched on 14 November and will be open until 21 February 2020. The objective of the Call is to improve the employability of the workforce and increase employment opportunities, develop sustainable environmental planning and promote biodiversity, as well as improve the management system for emergency response.

The application package with instructions for applicants is available at the following link: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome&nbPubliList=15&orderby=upd&orderbyad=Desc&searchtype=RS&aofr=165834