Acting Assistant Minister of European Integration Sanda Šimić, Head of the Border Police Directorate Dragan Samolovac, Deputy Head of the Border Police Directorate, Ivan Cvijović, Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration of Romania, Adrian Ioan Veştea, and the Head of Territorial Inspection of Timisoara Border Police, Tiberiu Gim Giurea, attended the signing of the finance agreement on the project of strategic importance “SAFE” – safer atmosphere on Romanian-Serbian border. This project is financed from the Interreg IPA Programme Romania - Serbia 2021-2027.
After the signing, it was said that this project would strategically contribute to the development of cooperation between two neighbouring countries, with a view to decreasing cross-border crime and illegal migration, along with strengthening security and protection of supply chain.
This project, with value of EUR 13.8 million, will enhance institutional capacities of the public authorities involved in border management and improve security in the border zone.
The need for financing such activities arises from the specific nature of the area covered by the programme, with border length of 548 km, making up 2% of the total external land border of the European Union. Along this border there are eight land border crossings, three harbours, two railway border crossings and one is over the river (by boat), enabling the crossing of more than 2.5 million people and 1.2 million of freight vehicles annually.
It was announced that in the following period another two projects of strategic importance will be signed and two large infrastructure projects, with total worth EUR 24 million. Their goal would be to improve emergency situations management and ensure better quality of medical services in this region.
