Ambassador Degert Visits Municipalities in South Serbia

24. October 2012.

Source: Tanjug / Belgrade - Vincent Degert, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, will today and tomorrow, visit Presevo, Bujanovac and Vranje.

Today, Ambassador Degert will open in Presevo the Citizens’ Advisory Service, meet with Mayor Ragmi Mustafa and visit the “Ibrahim Keljmendi” primary school, where joinery works have been done.

The EU Ambassador will talk in Bujanovac with Mayor Nagip Arifi, and will, thereupon, address the delegates of the local self-government.

He will, thereafter, visit the location of the project "Development of the Conditions for Effective Regional Planning through the Establishment of a Geographic Information System (GIS), which is part of the " Exchange 3” program, as well as the Office of the Albanian National Council.

On the second day of the visit, Ambassador Degert will meet with the Mayor of Vranje, Zoran Antic; visit the site of the project for improvement in the electronic administration of the city, as well as the works on the construction of a single counter for issuing construction permits and providing support to business.

Ambassador Degert will also hand over to civil society organizations and local self-government institutions contracts on the financing of 13 projects, for which funds were allocated by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland, through the European Program of Partnership with Municipalities "EU Progress".

He will, thereupon, visit the village of Coska, where the construction of a street water-supply system is funded by the EU. Ambassador Degert will also visit the "Business Incubator Center" in Vranje and will mark the launching of construction works on a sub-station in the village of Trebešinje.

The "EU Progress" program is aimed at supporting the development of 25 municipalities in southern and southwestern Serbia. The EU will allocate 14.1 million euros for the implementation of the program; the Swiss Government will earmark 2.5 million euros, while the Government of the Republic of Serbia will participate in the program with 1.5 million euros.