NEW PROJECTS FOR SOUTH SERBIA

29. October 2014.

Aleksinac - At yesterday's meeting of the Managing Board of the European PROGRESS, the criteria for providing support to clusters for innovations, totaling up to 200. 000 euros, were adopted. The Managing Board also approved the criteria for granting support to the local self-governments for the development of technical documentation for the social and economic infrastructure projects. A sum of 1.78 million euros was allocated for that purpose.

The Managing Board also approved a project proposal for the institutional strengthening of local gender equality mechanisms and for supporting the municipalities to improve the gender equality policy, which will be conducted in the field by the UN Office for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Also presented at the meeting was the progress that has been achieved by the program since this May, when the implementation of the European PROGRESS began. The relevance of the Programme in relation to the national reforms in the first four months was confirmed, as well as the needs of the supported municipalities, the structure for managing the program was set and the initial set of activities was prepared.

“The European PROGRESS is a new opportunity for all of us: to create favorable conditions for investments and the development of business, to strengthen the base for the development of infrastructure and to help you adopt some of the best global practices in project management, "said a representative of Division 3 of the EU Delegation, Richard Masa.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries of the Republic of Serbia, the municipalities participating in the implementation of the European PROGRESS, the development agencies and projects, civil society and donors or by representatives of the European Union and the Government of Switzerland.

“The advantage of the European PROGRESS is a regional approach to the implementation that allows for the exchange of experiences and good governance practices among the municipalities. This approach will enable the municipalities to jointly achieve more in all the fields than they would have done individually," said the Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Serbia, Isabel Peric.

The European Union and the Swiss Government will support the activities of the European PROGRESS programs, which contribute to sustainable development of the southern and southwestern Serbia, with a total of 24.46 million euros. The approved projects will be aimed at strengthening the local administration, providing a favorable environment for the development of infrastructure and economy and at improving the implementation of social inclusion and the employment policy.

The municipalities included in the program are as follows: Novi Pazar, Ivanjica, Nova Varos, Priboj, Prijepolje, Raska, Sjenica and Tutin in the southwestern part of Serbia, as well as Prokuplje, Blace, Zitoradja, Kursumlija, Leskovac, Bojnik, Vlasotince, Lebane, Medvedja, Crna Trava, Vranje, Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Vladicin Han, Presevo, Surdulica, Targoviste, Brus, Nis, Gadzin Han, Doljevac, Merosina, Svrljig, Babusnica, Bela Palanka and Knjazevac in the southeastern part of the country.

Source: Jugpress and Coordination Body