Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starović stated today at the Italian Embassy in Belgrade that Italy was one of Serbia’s most important and reliable partners both in economic cooperation and the European integration process. On that occasion, he also highlighted the importance of cooperation with the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), particularly through the Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP), which, according to him, represents a tangible form of solidarity and support for Serbia.
“The KEP programme has multiple dimensions of importance for Serbia – from support for alignment with European standards and strengthening institutional capacities to encouraging regional cooperation and modernisation of the public sector,” Minister Starović said.
He especially pointed out projects such as “Programming EU Cohesion Policy”, the UrbanNEKS project, and the Regional Master Programme in Public Procurement, emphasising that they were all contributing to Serbia being better prepared for EU membership.
The Minister thanked the Government of Italy, the CEI Fund, and the EBRD for their continued support and expressed confidence that joint initiatives would continue to bring Serbia and the entire region closer to the European Union.
