The Second European Week of Opportunities took place from September 23 to 27, 2024. It concluded with a series of panels and information sessions in Niš, focusing on local development, territorial cooperation, and green transition.
The program was opened with introductory speeches by the EU Ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Giofre, the Minister for European Integration, Tanja Miščević, the Deputy Minister for Local Self-Government of North Macedonia, Erdzan Selimi, and the Mayor of Niš, Dragoslav Pavlović.
During the event, certificates were awarded to all grant recipients from the second call for proposals of the CBC programme Serbia- North Macedonia, representing key partners from both countries, including local governments, schools, public utility companies, and civil society organizations.
Officials emphasized the importance of active participation from all interested parties in programs that the European Union supports for citizens, organizations, and public administration in Serbia and other neighboring countries.
The topic of the first panel was the importance of cooperation between different regions at the European level. Assistant Minister for European Integration, Sanda Šimić, noted the significance of engaging everyone in consultation processes regarding cross-border programs, highlighting that EU membership is important as such programs provide significantly larger funding.
The day continued with presentations of various opportunities within the INTERREG program—ranging from those with EU member states (Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary), to cooperation with countries in the enlargement process (Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia), as well as broader programs like Adrion, cooperation in the Danube region, or Urbakt. A new call for project proposals under the Serbia-North Macedonia program which is open until October 22, 2024 was also promoted.