The European Union is fully committed to the membership of Serbia and North Macedonia in the Union, and therefore supports cross-border cooperation projects. This was stated today in Vranje during the presentation of the first call for project proposals for cross-border cooperation, valued at 5.4 million euros. The call, part of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance III, was opened on September 5, and all potential beneficiaries have until October 22 to submit proposals that the EU will co-finance with 5.4 million euros through this project.
The Minister for European Integration, Tanja Miščević, stated that since 2001, the EU has provided Serbia and the Western Balkans with more than four billion euros in grants. Such cross-border cooperation projects aim to promote good neighborly relations and improve them, to promote European integration, but the most important goal is to enhance socio-economic development in areas where it is most visible, Miščević said. She reminded attendees of some of the projects implemented under the cross-border cooperation program, adding that the benefits of collaboration can be clearly seen through three projects in Vranje.
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The Minister of Local Self-Government of North Macedonia, Zlatko Perinski, said that the new program supports initiatives that nurture exchange and intercultural cooperation. The program offers opportunities for collaboration in the tourism sector between less developed areas and those that are more developed, he noted. Perinski mentioned that IPA III amounts to 8.4 million euros, but that 5.4 million euros will be available in this call for projects. This money will be divided into two thematic priorities—employment and cross-border social inclusion, with 2.9 million euros allocated for that, and promoting tourism with 2.43 million euros, he explained.
The Head of the EU Delegation, Emanuel Žiofre, stated that the values of the EU are democracy, peace, freedom, commitment to cooperation, dialogue, prosperity, and justice. The official announcement of this call for proposals under the program marks the beginning of cooperation within the large IPA III program, and new calls for cross-border cooperation projects between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Serbia and Montenegro, will follow, Žiofre announced. All these initiatives will strengthen regional ties and efforts in cooperation, he emphasized, adding that the two main pillars of cooperation will focus on employment and labor mobility, as well as promoting tourism, cultural, and natural heritage. The Union is committed to the membership of Serbia and North Macedonia in the EU, and we want to strengthen their cross-border cooperation as a way to achieve common goals for the benefit of all citizens and thereby strengthen the path to prosperity and peace, Žiofre stated.
The Mayor of Vranje, Slobodan Milenković, mentioned that the local government participated in the cross-border cooperation program with Bulgaria on four projects from 2007 to 2018. Vranje intends to apply with projects in the area of tourism for cross-border cooperation with North Macedonia, he announced.
Miščević, Perinski, and Žiofre visited three projects in Vranje that have been realized under the Serbia – North Macedonia and Bulgaria – Serbia Cross-Border Cooperation Programes. They visited the Sector for Emergency Situations, which is a beneficiary of the project “Joint Interventions in Emergency Situations in the Border Region of Serbia and Bulgaria,” and the Public Utility Company Komrad, which implemented the project “Improving and Protecting Human Health and the Environment by Reducing Pollution Risks through Effective Waste Management.” The ministers’ visit was concluded with a tour of the Public Utility Company Waterworks Vranje, which is involved in the implementation of the project “Strengthening International Relations between North Macedonia and Serbia with the Common Goal of Improving the Environment.”
Source: FONET
