Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has participated today at the ministerial meeting of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). On the occasion, she has emphasised the importance of the Strategy for Serbia and other countries, welcoming the adoption of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, through which, according to her, the Commission has provided strong and concrete proof that the Western Balkans is a region of strategic importance for the EU.
The meeting has been held within the Ninth Annual Forum, which has been organised by Croatia this year. However, due to the current epidemiological situation, the meeting has been held in the form of a video-conference.
Joksimović has stressed that, as the National IPA Coordinator, she will make efforts to align the plans for directing those funds across the entire Western Balkan region with the priorities of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, as stated in the press release issued by her Cabinet.
The Minister has particularly pointed out that joint planning and coordinated financing through such initiatives are necessary to achieve sustainable and accelerated development of the region, adding that today’s meeting is an important step towards achieving this goal.
The goal of today’s ministerial meeting has been to reach an agreement regarding the content of a joint statement that will set the direction for the implementation of the Strategy in the following one-year period.
In this statement, the Danube region ministers expressed their commitment to respond to the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by promoting measures aimed at the socio-economic recovery of the Danube region for the benefit of citizens.
In addition, the ministers have underlined the importance of strengthening sustainable regional development, the Green Agenda and digitisation through creating links between macro-regional strategies and EU funds.
They have particularly emphasised the need to include the Strategy priorities into the process of planning EU funds, not only in the Western Balkans, but also in the EU member states.
Source: Tanjug
