Every year, there are some 40 casualties amongst workers in Serbia, while 1,000 receive serious injuries - according to statistical data for 2012. The most common cause for the injuries is negligence for safety by the workers or the employer, disrespect of safety regulations or failure to use protective equipment. The most accidents occur on construction sites.

Occupational safety in Serbia as a business approach, scientific discipline but also as a practical standard was "born" in Nis. As one of the most industrialized cities, Nis led the way in technological production, but already by the middle of the last century, it had also become the city with the most injuries at the workplace. In the factory for machines and railroad cars "Stanko Paunovic", every third worker was injured.

They then realized in Nis that the experts are responsible for solving the problems in the workplace and that there was a need for directing production towards a safe technology, which allowed for safety of the people in the workplace environment. As a result, in 1972 the Faculty of Occupational Safety was established as an independent scientific and educational institution. 

Construction works are underway at the faculty, on the reconstruction and adaptation of the basement rooms and the renewal of the water and waste water infrastructure. The value of these works is 93,000 euros, which is being financed by the European Union as part of the project "Improving higher education infrastructure in Serbia - EU HETIP".

Once the construction work is completed, the Faculty will receive, as part of the HETIP project, the most modern teaching aids and scientific equipment, which will be available to the students from the school year 2013/2014 and enable them to receive training according to European standards.

The EU HETIP project is financed by the European Union with a budget of 22 million euros from IPA funds. From 2000 until today, the European Union has invested more than 64 million euros in the education sector.

Presentation of the new cycle of supporting civil society organizations in Serbia within the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Program 2013

Info Session 

European Union Delegation to the Republic of Serbia

Speakers:

• Martin Kern, Head of Operations, European Union Delegation to Serbia
• Ana Milenić, EIDHR Program Manager
• Marjan Gabriel, Manager, Finances and Contracts Section

Info session in this call will be held on the following days and the following locations:

- Session 2: Thursday, 13 June 2013, Noon – 2 p.m., Kragujevac

Main Hall at the City Hall, 3 Trg Slobode

- Session 3: Friday, 14 June 2013, Noon – 2 p.m., Novi Sad

Independent Association of Vojvodina Journalists, 3/I Zmaj Jovina Str.

The event started with drums and ended with releasing one hundred colorful balloons from the plateau in front of Youth Center. In that way the participants in the “Oko Nas” (Around Us) activity and their guests celebrated the opening of the “MY, YOUR, OUR WORLD” comics exhibition that would stay open for visitors at the premises of the EU Info Center in Belgrade Youth Center until 19 June.

A presentation of the Center for Youth Integration and proclaiming the winners of the competition were also a part of the event. The exhibited comics were the outcome of the intercultural exchange project initiated within the activity by the NGO Center for Cultural Action “Around Us” aimed at enhancing understanding and tolerance among people of various cultures. Voting for the best comic on the topic “My, Your, Our World” was organized in April on the Facebook page of the NGO “Around Us” and the EU Information Center, with a professional jury also participating in voting.

NGO Youth in Action “Around Us” President Jasna Augsten opened the exhibition expressing her appreciation to all of those “who have recognized the potential of this idea and contributed to its realization.”

“I was born in Belgrade and when I was four years old I left this culture and went to another one. There are small differences between them – mainly related to regulations; however, they could not reach mutual understanding. The essential thing is to get to know each other better and reduce prejudice,” said Augsten announcing that after Belgrade, the exhibition would continue visiting other towns.

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Information, Communication and Media Office Luca Kadar welcomed young drawers emphasizing that they have done a great job with excellent organization.

“The topic was multiculturalism, but you also, out of love, draw and wrote on love, friendship, solidarity, etc., the values promoted by the EU itself. Therefore it is not by accident that we meet just here at the EU Info Center which is always available to you,” said Kadar.

German Embassy First Secretary for Cultural and Press Affairs Inge Vera Erler noticed that besides all diversity of the exhibited works, the knowledge that we have only one world and that we need each other permeated all of them. President of Hemofarm Company Foundation Snezana Radocaj welcomed the audience in the name of the sponsor emphasizing that this company would continue supporting projects like this one.

After awarding prizes, all those who attended the event stayed at the party organized in the spirit appropriate to this title “Your, My and Our World.”

Forty families of refugees and displaced persons received keys to apartments in the residential area of Veliki Mokri Lug on the outskirts of Belgrade.

Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas and Head of EU Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Vincent Degert handed over keys of apartments to them and expressed their satisfaction for these people finally obtaining their apartments in the facilities for social housing and supportive environment, and leaving collective centers after decades of having hard time.

“Thanks to UNHCR’s major support of 70 million dinars, with 20 million of it facilitated by the city of Belgrade, we have managed to solve the problem for these people, the problem which unfortunately lasted so long,” said Djilas.

The mayor announced the construction of another 20 apartments for refugees and displaced persons with an aim to make collective centers, as he put it, “become the past”. “We shall continue with solving these problems until the last one”, he said.

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert said that the EU has been helping refugees and displaced persons and that, when it all started with taking care of them in Serbia, there were 300 collective centers and currently there are 13 of them.

“It is always a heartbreaking situation when we have an opportunity to hand keys of apartments over to families who will be able to start leading a normal life here,” said Ambassador Degert and added: “Until now, there have been around €47 million invested into closing down collective centers in Serbia and there are still 13 of them. A few weeks ago we completed the construction of a facility in Kraljevo, and it was the first part of the project participated by the EU.”

He emphasized that this work should continue and repeated that 60,000 vulnerable people were still to be taken care of.

The construction in Veliki Mokri Lug is 3,602 square meters large and it consists of two blocks of flats with 20 apartments each. As it has been emphasized during the ceremony of handing over the keys, the construction of the fourth building with another 20 apartments in Mali Mokri Lug has been planned.

ABOUT THE PROJECTS

The European Union has donated €1,224,862 for the project “Support Access to Rights, Employment and Livelihood Enhancement of refugees and IDPs in Serbia“. The city of Belgrade donated construction land and infrastructure, and funded the construction of shelters and garages as provided for in the Urban Planning Design. Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia and UNHCR participated in the selection of beneficiaries – families of refugees and internally displaced persons living in collective centers on the territory of Belgrade. The construction works were carried out by “Vizija” NGO, a long standing implementing partner of UNHCR.

Over the past years, the European Union has allocated €38.3 million from the Instrument for Pre Accession Assistance (IPA) towards resolution of housing problems of refugees and internally displaced persons, improvement of their economic situation and provision of free legal aid in the process of exercise of the rights in the countries and places of origin.

The Program of support to refugees and internally displaced persons funded by the EU is implemented in partnership of the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia and UNHCR. The Program provides support to refugees, internally displaced persons and socially vulnerable domicile population in finding durable solutions through construction of housing within the concept of „social housing in supportive environment” and pre-fabricated houses as well as through approval of income generation cash grants.

Contact:

UNHCR, Public Information Unit, Mirjana Milenkovski, Associate, +381 11 3082 103, ivanovim@unhcr.org

Novi Pazar, Sjenica, 7 June 2013 – On the second day of touring southwestern Serbia, Head of European Union Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Vincent Degert opened the Unique Service Center for supporting business and issuing building permits, and also marked the end of a part of the construction works on the building of the Center for intellectually disabled people in Novi Pazar.

Continuing his visit to South West Serbia, Ambassador Degert met with Head of Sjenica Municipality Hazbo Mujovic, and then visited the construction site of the Regional Agriculture Development Center and the water supply “Suho Polje” pumping station. The Regional Center is expected to improve the agricultural production in the Pester plateau, focused on milk and dairy products, also including the famous white Sjenica cheese. This project is funded through the European Partnership with Municipalities EU PROGRES Program with €222,000, while the Czech Development Agency participates with €200,000. There will be a chemical and microbiological laboratory located in the Center, and also a warehouse for agricultural equipment and premises intended for organizing training and seminars.

“The Regional Center will determine the future of Sjenica, Tutin and Novi Pazar that have come together to accomplish more dynamic development. The intention is to facilitate farmers to win new markets with their fantastic products like the Sjenica cheese, “Kajmak” (milk cream) and “Prsuta” (smoked ham). This Center should secure the quality of the products, preserve their good reputation and provide support to more than 200 households,” said Ambassador Degert.

“According to the project, at least 35 jobs should be created in the Regional Center, and all the investments by the European Union and other partners should ultimately secure higher yields for farmers of this region. The Municipality of Sjenica is struggling to secure two extra dinars from the budget on each dinar invested by donors, so in that manner we managed to provide additional funds for the construction of the laboratory for testing land plots within the structure of the Center,” said Hazbo Mujovic.

After that, the head of the EU Delegation met with Novi Pazar Mayor Meho Mahmutovic and delivered him a contract on awarding the grant of €100,000 for the procurement of a vehicle for the public utility water supply and sewage services. This vehicle will resolve problems with discharging sewage in this area, which now represents a major threat to the health of the people. The ambassador and the Novi Pazar mayor have opened the Unique Service Center for supporting business and issuing construction permits that will narrow the procedure and facilitate obtaining necessary documents for the construction.

“The European Union has invested more than a million Euros into the projects in Novi Pazar through the EU PROGRES program, and by continuing the program we should provide support in the future as well. The Unique Service Center is required to provide better conditions for easier operations of entrepreneurs and therefore securing the economic development,” said Ambassador Vincent Degert.

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert marked the end of the part of the works on the Center for intellectually disabled people in Novi Pazar that will provide care for 300 users. The EU PROGRES invested €30,000 in the construction of sanitary and heating systems.

“All associations struggling to establish this center deserve great respect since in the time of economic crisis, and particularly in some underprivileged regions, the society sometimes forgets to provide help for those who need it most. The quality of this project refers above all to providing aid to those who are most vulnerable, contributing to their integration into the society and providing them with an opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Degert.

Ambassador Degert visited the Novi Pazar General High School where a new heating system has been reinstalled facilitated through the EU PROGRES. It also improved the studying conditions in the nearby “25 May” primary school. Late in winter, the savings due to better heating system, totaled €50,000, and during the entire winter students had no breaks caused by cold, like they had had the winter before.

Ambassador Degert will end his three-day tour tomorrow by visiting Raska where he will meet Municipality Head Jovan Corbic and mark the end of the construction works on “Veselo Djetinjstvo” (Happy Childhood) kindergarten.

The European Union facilitates the Program of European Partnership with Municipalities – EU PROGRES with €14.1 million, the Swiss Government with €2.5 million, and the Serbian Government with €1.5 million. The EU – PROGRESS aims at supporting the social and economic development of 25 municipalities located in South and South West Serbia. All additional details regarding this program could be found at the web page: www.euprogres.org.

For further information, please contact:

Petar Janjatović | Communications Assistant | European Partnership with Municipalities Program - EU PROGRES | Timočka 4, Prokuplje, Serbia | Tel: +381 27 333 125 +381 27 329 972| Mobile: +381 63 8622 780 | e-mail: petarj@unops.org | skype: petar_unops | www.euprogres.org

Raska, 8 June 2013 – Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Vincent Degert, ended his three-day tour of South West Serbia by opening “Veselo Detinjstvo” kindergarten in Raska.

Ambassador Degert met with Raska municipality Head Jovan Corbic and they visited the kindergarten which final construction works were funded with €89,000 thorough the European Partnership with Municipalities Program - EU PROGRES. There are 120 children shortlisted for the enrolment to the kindergarten because the old kindergarten building was too small to receive all the children from this municipality. As of this fall, the new kindergarten will be attended by all children from the list and 16 new jobs will be created there.

“After much effort being made, the new kindergarten will be completely operational on 1 September. This is one of 16 projects facilitated by the EU PROGRES in Raska, total value of over €660,000. A waste water processing facility has also been planned for the construction because the environment protection is among major priorities of the EU. Therefore we will seek to implement this project together with Raska. The economic development of the municipality is another priority, and if we want kindergartens to be full of children we must provide quality lives for their families,” said Degert.

“There has been a lot of effort made in the construction of ‘Veselo Detinjstvo’ kindergarten over the years to provide accommodation for all the children. The Raska Municipality has shown great commitment to finalize this project. A draft of new rules on the admission of children has been prepared as a part of the project, therefore equal chances will be created for all parents who want to enroll their children,” said Jovan Corbic.

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert has presented to the mayor of Raska a contract on awarding grants to equip this kindergarten that will be facilitated with €80,000 by the European Union and the Swiss Government though the EU PROGRES program. In this way Ambassador Degert ended his three-day tour of southwestern Serbia, during which he visited Priboj, Nova Varos, Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Raska, and the projects financially supported through the EU PROGRES program.

The European Union facilitates the Program of European Partnership with Municipalities – EU PROGRES with €14.1 million, the Swiss Government with €2.5 million, and the Serbian Government with €1.5 million. The EU – PROGRESS aims at supporting the social and economic development of 25 municipalities located in South and South West Serbia. All additional details regarding this program could be found at the web page: www.euprogres.org.

For further information, please contact:

Petar Janjatovic | Communications Assistant | European Partnership with Municipalities Program - EU PROGRES | Timočka 4, Prokuplje, Serbia | Tel: +381 27 333 125 +381 27 329 972| Mobile: +381 63 8622 780 | e-mail: petarj@unops.org | skype: petar_unops | www.euprogres.org

The keys will be handed out by the Head of EU Delegation in Serbia, Ambassador Vincent Degert, Mayor of Belgrade, Mr Dragan Đilas, UNHCR Representativein Serbia, Mr. Eduardo Arboleda and the Commissioner for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Vladimir Cucić.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Programme of support to refugees and internally displaced persons funded by the EU is implemented in partnership of the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia and UNHCR. The Programme provides support to refugees, internally displaced persons and socially vulnerable domicile population in finding durable solutions through construction of housing within the concept of„social housing in supportive environment ” and pre-fabricated houses as well as through approval of income generation cash grants. The European Union has donated EUR 1,224,862 for the project “Support to access to rights, employment and livelihood enhancement of refugees and IDPs in Serbia“ .The City of Belgrade donated construction land and infrastructure and funded construction of shelters and garages as provided for in the Urban Planning Design. The Commisariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia and UNHCR participated in the selection of beneficiaries – families of refugees and internally displaced persons living in collective centres on the territory of Belgrade. The works were executed by NGO Vizija, a long standing implementing partner of UNHCR. Over the past years, the European Union has allocated EUR 38.3 million form the Instrument for Pre Accession Assistance towards resolution of housing problems of refugees and internally displaced persons, improvement of their economic situation and provision of free legal aid in the process of exercise of the rights in the countries and places of origin.

Contact:

UNHCR, Public Information UNit, Mirjana Milenkovski, Associate, +381 11 3082 103, ivanovim@unhcr.org

Priboj, Nova Varos, 6 June 2013 – At the start of his three-day visit to southwestern Serbia, Head of European Union Delegation to Serbia Ambassador Vincent Degert officially opened the reconstructed building of the Heritage Museum of Priboj and marked the completion of the project design and providing the equipment for the first recycling center in Nova Varos.

Ambassador Degert started his visit by meeting Priboj Mayor Lazar Rvovic, and they both opened the reconstructed Heritage Museum, the project funded with over €100,000 through the European Partnership with Municipalities EU PROGRES Program. It included the reconstruction of the building and arranging an open amphitheater in the courtyard, which created conditions for obtaining a permanent museum setting aimed at demonstrating the diversity and wealth of cultural and historical heritage.

“Reconstruction of the Heritage Museum of Priboj is one of the projects funded through the EU PROGRES, and the European Union will continue providing support to the development of this region through the EU PROGRES 2 program. This project confirms the absence of any kind of contradiction related to tradition in Serbia on its path to Europe. Priboj should make efforts to revive its economy, but also to protect the environment and develop tourism. This museum is a part of the European Network of Museums and I believe that it will help attracting visitors”, said Ambassador Degert.

“It very important for Priboj that the European Union persisted in providing assistance in the area of culture, since it can trigger the economic development of this region. There are artifacts more than 7,000 years old exhibited in the Heritage Museum, which may be of interest to many,” stated Lazar Rvovic.

Afterwards, Ambassador Degert visited the town of Nova Varos and met with Municipality Head Dimitrije Paunovic to mark the completion of the project of designing and providing the equipment for the Recycling Center, funded with €82,000 through the EU PROGRES Program. The goal of the project was to promote the system of collecting and separating waste in Nova Varos. The Recycling Center is a part of a larger project of the regional “Banjica” Landfill that will include the municipalities of Nova Varos, Prijepolje, Priboj and Sjenica.

“The establishment of the Recycling Center is in accordance with the national and local waste management strategy, and the recycling is also important for the economic development. This Center is expected to make profit of €18, 000 in 2015, while by 2033 it may reach €200,000. The Recycling Center is a good example of synergy between the two projects funded by the European Union – EU PROGRES and CLEAN,” said Degert.

“The municipality of Nova Varos provided additional €240,000 for the purchase and the reconstruction of the plant because we have become aware of the necessity to promote the environment in this part of Serbia. There are now four people already employed in the Center, and the total number of jobs will be six. Paper, glass and PET packages will be prepared at the newly constructed center for further recycling processes,” said Dimitrije Paunovic.

Ambassador Degert will meet Head of Sjenica municipality Hazbo Mujovic on 8 June, and tour the works on the construction of Regional Agriculture Development Center and the final stage of the project of replacing water pumps of the Suho Polje pumping station. The Head of the EU Delegation will also visit Novi Pazar where he will deliver to Mayor Meho Mahmutiovic a contract on awarding the grant for the procurement of vehicles for the public utility “water supply and sewage” services. Ambassador Degert will then visit the Unique Service Center for supporting business and issuing construction permits and mark the end of the part of works on the Center for intellectually disabled people, also funded by the EU PROGRES Program. At the end of the second day of his visit, the EU Ambassador will go to Novi Pazar General High School where a new heating system has been installed facilitated through the EU PROGRES. On the third day of the tour, Ambassador Degert will visit Raska to mark the completion of constructing “Veselo Detinjstvo” (Happy Childhood) kindergarten project.

The European Union facilitates the Program of European Partnership with Municipalities – EU PROGRES with €14.1 million, the Swiss Government with €2.5 million, and the Serbian Government with €1.5 million. The EU – PROGRESS aims at supporting the social and economic development of 25 municipalities located in South and South West Serbia. All additional details regarding this program could be found at the web page: www.euprogres.org.

For further information, please contact:

Petar Janjatović | Communications Assistant | European Partnership with Municipalities Program - EU PROGRES | Timočka 4, Prokuplje, Serbia | Tel: +381 27 333 125 +381 27 329 972| Mobile: +381 63 8622 780 | e-mail: petarj@unops.org | skype: petar_unops | www.euprogres.org

School children, the fourth grade class four pupils of the primary school of “Svetislav Golubović Mitraljeta“ in Batjanica, are winners of the competition of collecting recyclables, which was participated by eight primary schools in total from the municipality of Zemun. These children collected 2,920 kilograms of packaging and won a day visit to Palic and a video projector for their school.

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Information, Communication and Media Office Luca Ester Kadar, on the World Environment Day, awarded prizes to the winners at a ceremony organized at the Zemun Municipality Hall which was also the organizer of the competition within the Green Week.

“You have done a great job. You collected 11 tons of waste material. I don’t know if you know that there is 300,000 tons of waste produced each year in Serbia, and even 80 million tons in the European Union,” said Luca Kadar welcoming the primary school pupils.

Pointing out that most waste is coming from packaging, Kadar suggested to the children to avoid packaging, whenever they can, and if they cannot to use it for several times.

“By collecting and separating used packaging for recycling, you set an example to your other fellow schoolmates and parents and show them how to behave, because it is not a usual habit in Serbia,” she underlined.

The EU Delegation and the EU Info Center provided valuable prizes for best classes and schools, and the competition, participated by eight schools from Zemun, was supported by a recycling company “Most”.

The second prize – free tickets to the Belgrade Zoo and a video projector was won by the class three of the fourth grade pupils from the primary school of "Stanko Maric" in Ugrinovci.

Class three of the fourth grade pupils of the primary school of "Gavrilo Princip" managed to collect 1,570 kilograms of packaging and won the prize – tickets for a children theater performance and a video projector.

Pupils from Zemun primary schools showed great interest in the activity and exceeded expectations by the quantity of packaging they had collected, as it was stated while delivering prizes at the Zemun municipality hall. It was the first time for this local authority to organize an activity within the Green Week by which the EU Delegation marks the World Environment Day on 5 June.

Besides the winners, there were other five primary schools participating in the activity: “Majka Jugovica”, “Rade Koncar”, “Svetozar Miletic”, “Petar Kočic” and “Mihajlo Pupin”.

All participants of the competition, which is a part of the Green Week aimed at raising awareness of the school children, were awarded plaques and CDs with environmental films.

All of those who supported the event received thank-you notes from the municipality of Zemun and among the winners were EU Delegation to Serbia Official Luca Ester Kadar and EU Info Center Project Manager Dubravka Savic.

The total value of the regional landfill project is €6,320,000. It is funded by: the EU donation of €5,020,000 through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Program (MISP), the local towns with €1,000,000 while the Serbian Environment Ministry former Eco Fund provided €3,000,000. The newly established “Regional Landfill Srem-Macva” will start operating in the following few months. The existing dump sites and city dump areas in the territory of towns Sremska Mitrovica and Sabac failed to provide the sanitary measures. This project provided construction of one of the largest regional landfills in Vojvodina and Macva County that will secure ecological disposal of waste for over 200,000 citizens. Also, the plan of solid waste management will have long-term positive effects to biodiversity of the Sava River region.

The EU funded MISP program will also provide additional construction of the waste water treatment plant in Sabac. The construction site of this plant is located near the Sabac transfer station, and the total value of the project is €18,562,000 out of which almost €10 million was donated by the EU.

The towns of Sremska Mitrovica and Sabac, through the EU funded MISP program, were awarded grants for the construction of two major municipal infrastructural facilities related to the environment protection in the total amount of €25 million. Furthermore, the communication strategies for these two projects were also worked out in the cooperation with the EU MISP program. These communication plans are aimed at educating local population on the need for environment protection, emphasizing the significance of recycling, primary and secondary selection of waste, the importance of connecting to the sewage network, and also the ecological protection of the Sava River. An educative film on environment has been prepared as a part of the EU MISP campaign titled “Don’t get Serbia dirty”, and also some TV and radio commercials, and graphics solutions for billboards and posters.

The visit and the announcement of the Regional Landfill Srem-Macva operation is the first in the series of events that are to be organized by the end of the World Environment Month 2013 marked by the EU Delegation to Serbia and the EU Info Center aimed at promoting civic activism in the area of the ecology and the environment protection.

Photographs taken at the event site can be downloaded at http://www.infolink.rs/page_view.php?pageId=361

More information on MISP campaign “Don’t Get Serbia Dirty” on www.misp-serbia.rs

More information on the Environment Month 2013 on www.euinfo.rs.

MISP (Municipal Infrastructure Support Program), financed by EU and managed by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, assists municipalities in Serbia in the preparation of project documentation and implementation of municipal infrastructure projects. MISP focuses on facilitating economy and environmental projects (water supply, waste water processing, solid waste management, sheltered housing, education facilities, tourist sites and industrial zones). Since 2005, more than 20 projects with a total value of over €68 million have been implemented. The main goal of MISP is the improvement of the infrastructure services management in municipalities and higher investment in the infrastructure, in order to meet EU standards on environmental protection and sustainable economic development. MISP is also assisting municipalities and public companies throughout the entire process of infrastructure projects realization – from funding application, feasibility studies (SLAP IS www.slap.skgo.org), budget management to the very implementation of the project.

EPTISA, a Spanish engineering consultant company which is at the head of a consortium with two other international consultants: ROYAL HASKONING (NL) and VNG (NL), has been appointed for implementation of the MISP project

Contact person:

Sanja Babic, PR Manager, MISP

+381 63 509 427, sbabic@misp-serbia.rs, www.misp-serbia.rs

The celebration of the environment month in Serbia starts on 5 June, on the World Environment Day, in Sabac, Sremska Mitrovica, and other towns facilitated by the European Union through Municipal Infrastructure Support Program (MISP). The grants of over €25 million have been awarded for implementing two major infrastructural municipal projects: construction of the Regional Landfill Srem-Macva and the construction of Waste Water Treatment Plant in Sabac.

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia H. E. Ambassador Vincent Degert, Ministry of Energy, Development and Environment Protection State Secretary Mr. Dusan Mrakic, Mayor of Sabac Mr. Milos Milosevic and Mayor of Sremska Mitrovica Mr. Branislav Nedimovic are to visit newly constructed Transfer Station Site and Sabac Waste Water Treatment Plant Site. They will also visit the Regional Landfill Srem-Macva and officially announce the opening of both facilities.

The most successful schools who have taken part in the environmental action of collecting secondary raw material in the municipality of Zemun will be awarded prizes on 5 June. Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Information, Communication and Media Office Luca Kadar is to deliver projectors at 1 p.m. to three schools whose fourth grade pupils won prizes. The first prize is a day visit to Palic, the second is covering expenses both for pupils and teachers to visit the Zoo, and the third is the tickets for teachers and pupils for visiting a children theater .

Marking the EU Green Week will continue on Saturday, 8 June, by organizing the traditional cleaning of the Ada Ciganlija Lake and for the first time there will be “Ada Ecofest” event organized from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Ambassador Vincent Degert and 80 members of the “Calypso” Divers Association of Serbia are to dive to clean the lake and promote the environmental activism. Members of the Association of Recyclers will inform the citizens on possible ways for recycling waste, and the “Centrala” NGO will provide practical examples of using solar energy.

A regatta of the Optimist and Laser class sailing boats will be organized in cooperation with the Yachtsmen Association of Serbia. There will be sailing boats models presented and their owners will also organize a regatta. The aim is to inform the younger citizens on the possibilities of using the renewable energy sources, so the remote control of boat models will run on solar energy.

Children “Kolibri” (Humming Birds) choir will entertain all attendees by performing songs on the environment, specially composed for this purpose. Citizens will be able to check their knowledge on the environment in an interactive EU quiz, and in a video booth “Open on Europe”, they will be able to say what should be improved in Serbia, related to the environment protection.

To promote the environmental activism through social networks as well, the EU Delegation and the EU Info Center organize the EcoUp event at the Belgrade Tasmajdan Park on 25 June. The Twitter community members will have an opportunity to exchange their ideas on possible common activities related to the environment protection.

The environment month will end with the Organic Fest at the Topcider Park on 28-30 June, organized by the Open-mind Agency. As a part of the manifestation, the EU Info Center together with the “Centrala” NGO will present practical solutions for energy savings and using non-traditional energy sources – a mini bio-diesel manufacturing plant and solar panels. Several music bands from Serbia will provide their entertaining support on the occasion.

All the activities are to be covered by social networks: “Be Active” the online campaign thought-out particularly for the promotion of environmental activism during the European Year of Citizens 2013. A Twitter campaign where the citizens will be able to send their suggestions for future actions on “#budiaktivan” hash tag on 5-30 June. The EU Delegation and the EU Info Center team will chose 10 among all received suggestions and put them for voting on the EU Info Center Webpage www.euinfo.rs between 15 July and 15 August. Three suggestions that won most of the votes will receive valuable prizes and the EU Delegation and the EU Info Center will carry out one of them on the ground.

Every year in June, the European Union organizes thematic manifestations related to environment protection. Early in June, there is the “Green Week” celebrated by organizing an annual congress on environment protection; this year conference titled “Clear Air for All” will be organized in Brussels on 4-7 June. The Sustainable Energy Week to promote renewable energy sources will be organized on 24-28 June, and the Danube Day will be marked on 29 June.

Further information

Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Nadezda Dramicanin, Press and Information Officer, Tel: +381 11 30 83 200, nadezda.dramicanin@eeas.europa.eu, www.europa.rs

EU Information Center: Marina Rakic, Media Adviser, +381 64 17 18057, marina.rakic@euinfo.rs www.euinfo.rs

MISP Program, Ms. Sanja Babic, Public Relation Expert/Event Manager, +381 63 451 416, sbabic@misp-serbia.rs, www.misp-serbia.rs

“Calypso” Divers Association, Bozana Ostrojic, +381 63 309 007

Organic Live Fest: Nikola Bulj, Tel +381 64 197 2599; e mail bulj.nikola@gmail.com

5 June 2013, 12:30h

City of Šabac, Gospodar Jevremova 6 St., 15000 Šabac, Serbia which will include site visit of the body of the Regional Landfill

Project value: 6.320.000 EUR

EU Donation: 5.020.00 EUR

12:30 – 13:00 Reception at the Šabac City Hall, (II floor, Gospodar Jevremova 6 St., 15000 Šabac, Serbia)

(Head of EU Delegation H.E. Ambassador Vincent Degert, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Mr. Dušan Mrakić, Mayor of Sremska Mitrovica Mr. Branislav Nedimović, Mayor of Šabac Mr. Miloš Milošević,)

TV Covers 5 min.

13:00 – 13:20 Visit to the the street event "Green Day in Šabac" – EU Info centre event, (City of Šabac, main pedestrian zone Gospodar Jevremova Street)

Timeline of the event: from 11:30 till 15:30h

TV Covers (In case of rain and heavy rainfall this event will be canceled)

13:20 – 13:30 Departure for Šabac Transfer Station Site and Šabac Waste Water Treatment Plant Site

Transportation for the journalists will be provided

13:30 – 13:40 Site visit of the Šabac Transfer Station Site

Explanations will be given by Mr. Miloš Milošević, Mayor of Šabac City

13:40 – 13:55 MEDIA STATEMENTS

· Head of EU Delegation H.E. Vincent Degert

· State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Mr. Dušan Mrakić

· Mayor of Šabac Mr. Miloš Milošević

13:55 – 14:35 Departure to the Regional Landfill Srem-Mačva (Jarak location)

Transportation for the journalists will be provided

14:35 – 14:45 Site visit of the Regional Landfill Site

Explanations will be given by Mr. Aleksandar Spajić, Building Directorate Sremska Mitrovica City

14:45 – 15:00 Media statements

· Head of EU Delegation H.E. Vincent Degert

· State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Mr. Dušan Mrakić

· Mayor of Sremska Mitrovica Mr Branislav Nedimović

MISP (Municipal Infrastructure Support Programme), financed by EU and managed by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, assists municipalities in Serbia in the preparation of project documentation and implementation of municipal infrastructure projects. MISP is focused on supporting environmental and economical projects (drinking water, waste water treatmant, solid waste management, sheltered housing, education facilities, tourist sites and industrial zones). Since 2005, more than 14 projects with a total value of over 65 million Euros have been implemented.

Contact:

Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Nadežda Dramićanin, Press and Information Officer, Tel: +381 11 30 83 200, nadezda.dramicanin@eeas.europa.eu, www.europa.rs

MISP Programme, Ms. Sanja Babić, Public Relation Expert/Event Manager, +381 63 451 416, sbabic@misp-serbia.rs, www.misp-serbia.rs

From the glass dome on the roof of the building, a guard watched the city and with a trumpet informed firefighters of fire – up until 1919 when the use of telephones rescinded the need for a guard's horn.

The building was built according to the designs of Czech architect Jan Nevola, and following the wishes of the owner, Captain Misa Anastasijevic – it was given to the "homeland to serve education." It was one of the first buildings in Serbia to be given the status of cultural heritage of great importance. The Rectorate of the University of Belgrade is housed in half of the building, while in the other there are two faculty departments.

The façade of Captain Misa’s Mansion was built with numerous gothic and historical elements, and the building has a total of 170 windows. On either side of the main entrance of the building at the first floor level are statues of "Apollo with a lyre" and "Minerva with spear and shield." Reconstruction of the facade of the building, for which theEuropean Union (EU) has allocated 600,000 EUR, will last until late fall 2013. Under this grant, a part of the loft space will be renovated and converted into a teaching area of 400 square meters, and on the interior of the building, a modern, panoramic elevator will be installed to facilitate access for persons with disabilities.

Works on Captain Misa’s Mansion are part of the project "Improving higher education infrastructure in Serbia - EU HETIP" financed by an EU budget of 22 million euros from the EU pre-accession IPA funds. From 2000 to date, the EU has invested 64 million EUR in the education sector in Serbia.

Belgrade, 30 May 2013 – In 70 elementary schools around Serbia the school year ended today for 4,750 adults who participated in elementary education within the EU funded “Second Chance” Project. In the Elementary School “Djura Jaksic” in Pancevo, participants were awarded certificates by the Head of the EU Delegation, H. E. Vincent Degert.  

The awarding of certificates in all schools which are implementing the “Second Chance” Programme of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the European Union, marked the end of the school year for adults in elementary education. The participants of the final, third cycle shall take the final exam in June and shall also participate in training for a vocation of their choice, with the duration of up to three months.

The “Second Chance” Project is funded by the European Union with EUR 4 million, and its implementation has been lasting from 2010, and shall finish in September 2013. Within the project, the Functional Elementary Education of Adults was systemically developed, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development announced the introduction of this programme in the regular system of education in Serbia.

The “Second Chance” programme was piloted during two school years in 70 elementary schools in Serbia. Even though it was initially planned to enrol up to 4,000 adults without complete elementary education, 7,100 adults were included in the project, and 4,750 of them successfully completed the programme in one of the three year-long education cycles.

The Project encompassed 75 secondary vocational schools as well, which realised vocational training for the participants in the programme, and the project team trained a total of 1,300 teachers in elementary and secondary schools which implemented the teaching for adults.

In the report of the Institute for the Education Quality and Evaluation on the “Second Chance” Project, it is said that this programme of education is introducing visible novelties at the systemic level, and that in Serbia so far no educational programme like the “Second Chance” existed. The essential novelty of the pilot was the development of the three-year programme for elementary education, which is completely adapted to adults and offers them functional knowledge, since it is oriented at the development of concrete competencies. The programme is also connecting education with the labour market, since the participants shall be trained for one of 50 vocations of choice in addition to the general elementary education. The Functional Elementary Education of Adults in the long run represents a significant saving for the state budget, since among the participants there is a significant number of social welfare beneficiaries, who will get the opportunity in this way to obtain knowledge and skills and live on their work.

During the Project, the three-year curriculum was developed and tested, along with the relevant teaching and learning material. The capacity of human resources was developed for the implementation of this type of education, and in 70 municipalities in Serbia, local partnership was established with the relevant social institutions in order to provide support to the programme. During the three years of realisation of the Project, the public awareness on the importance of adult education and literacy in general was significantly increased.

In order to improve the quality of teaching, the European Union donated EUR 200,000 for the purchasing of new technical equipment, such as laptops, desktop computers and other technical aids to all schools which realised the “Second Chance” Programme. In all 70 elementary schools, the enrolment of a new generation of participants of the Functional Elementary Education of Adults commenced for the next school year.

***

Contact person:

Aleksandra Kokanovic, phone number: 063/ 8 516 551, 011/26 36 034, e-mail: aleksandra.kokanovic@drugasansa.rs

The project “Second chance” was launched by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the European Union which is financing the project’s implementation with 4 million Euros.

In the elementary school “Djura Jaksic” in Pancevo, H.E. Vincent Degert, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia will deliver certificates to participants.

It is our pleasure to invite the media to attend this event.

TIME:   Thursday, May 30, 10.30 a.m.   
PLACE:  Elementary school “Djura Jaksic” in Pancevo

Lava Tolstoja 30, Pancevo      
PARTICIPANTS:   H.E. Vincent Degert, Head of EU Delegation to Serbia 
Mrs. Anita Jakobsone, Project Team Leader 
Mr. Rade Barjaktarevic, director of “Djura Jaskic” elementary school   
SCENARIO:       Mr. Degert will discuss with the school team responsible for the implementation of the “Second chance” programme and with the participants to whom they will deliver certificates.     
THE PROJECT:    The project “Second Chance” ends in September 2013. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development announced the introduction of this programme in the regular system of education in Serbia

On May 30, in 70 elementary schools in Serbia, a coordinated ceremony of the awarding of certificates will be held

The project served to develop and pilot the Functional Elementary Education of Adults which represents an efficient mechanism for the long-term decrease of the illiteracy rate and an important contribution to adult education development in Serbia

The project is financed by the European Union with 4 million Euros     
NOTE:   We kindly ask you to confirm your presence

Contact person: 

Aleksandra Kokanovic, mob 063/ 8 516 551, tel 011/26 36 034

e-mail aleksandra.kokanovic@drugasansa.rs     

The Serbian European Integration Office, in cooperation with the European Union Delegation to Serbia, organized a conference at Metropol Hotel in downtown Belgrade to present the results of the Western Balkans Investment Frameworks in Serbia.

As it was said, Serbia has so far been awarded grants totaling over €34 million for 23 projects within the Western Balkans Investment Frameworks in Serbia. The estimated value of the investments for projects within the WBIF initiative in Serbia totals more than €3.5 billion, with Serbia also participating in six regional projects.

Since its inception in 2009, this unique instrument has provided grants totaling €280 million for the development of priority investments throughout Western Balkans, with the estimated value of €13 billion.

The WBIF is a joint initiative of the European Commission, the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as the World Bank KfW Group, in the partnership with bilateral donors and governments of Western Balkans. This framework supports socio-economic development and EU accession across the Western Balkans, through the provision of finance and technical assistance for strategic investments, particularly in transportation, energy efficiency, environment protection, social sectors and private sector development.

According to head of Serbian European Office Milan Pajevic, the WBIF is an instrument contributing to cooperation among the countries in the region in the area of energy, transportation, environment and infrastructure.

He views the framework as specific since it provides the grant awards to lower grade projects that should contribute to more efficient access to loans intended for capital projects.   

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert said: “Serbia is a part of the European family and it must take its place, and we are doing this mainly because of the citizens of Serbia.” He added that the project had started four years ago when new creative mechanisms were required for investing into new projects.

On the basis of his previous four-year experience in building up the WBIF, Ambassador Degert underlined that there were four significant things that should be taken into consideration:

First, building capacity of the authorities and public administration in general aimed at enabling them to bear the investments even after completing the projects.

Second, preparing project proposals in advance and creating expert basis since it is difficult to make a good project without highly qualified staff.

Third, institutional and financial sustainability of investments must be secured since the very start of the project.  

Fourth, transparency of the way the funds are being spent, which is equally important to tax payers from the EU who are providing the money, and also to tax payers in Serbia who will pay back the loans.

According to Serbian Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Zorana Mihajlovic’s view, Serbia, since being a central country in the region, can be an obstacle to the development of the region, but it also can be a leader.   

She said that the Ministry she is in charge of has defined priorities in infrastructural projects that help Serbia to access to the EU.

The continuous and sustainable growth that we need is achievable only by investing into infrastructural projects which includes connecting energy networks, and gas and oil pipelines in the region, said Mihajlovic and added that increasing energy efficiency was regarded as a priority. 

Serbian Education, Science and Technological Development Minister Zarko Obradovic informed the audience about several projects funded through the WBIF, above all the projects of science technological parks in Serbia.

Regional Programs Unit of the WBIF Head Yngve Engström emphasized that it was all about a natural cooperation, however, which was not always simple; moreover due to usual complexity of projects which required the harmonization of a large number of institutions (sometimes even in several countries) i.e. banks, funds, donors, etc. He emphasized that the following period would be marked with the IPA II (2014- 2020), with special aspect of building public administration capacities to make them able to bear the projects and regulations that provide them with legal framework – a special accent would be put on the need to secure the space for private investments in these projects.    

For more information see www.wbif.eu

The opening ceremony was held in new kindergarten placed in Velje Polje near Tutin. The ceremony was attended by Ms. Yolanda San Jose, Head of Operations I, Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, Bogoljub Lazarevic, Head of group for preschool education of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and Mr. Semsudin Kucevic, Mayor of Tutin municipality and Director of preschool institution Mr. Sinan Derdemez.

The EU donation will increase preschool capacities and provide better working conditions for employees at this facility. About 50 children more from Tutin municipality will be placed in new kindergarten. The newly built facility is equipped with the latest standards for preschool education.

Equipment delivered by IMPRES project (prefabricated structures and vehicles) to 15 pilot municipalities included in the project will ensure increasing of access to preschool especially for vulnerable children (from rural and poor areas, Roma or other minorities, handicapped, etc.). This kindergarten is part of a total donation for seven kindergartens in six municipalities for a total of over 1 350 000 EUR.

IMPRES project also works on developing special programs adapted to the needs of vulnerable children as part of activities on social inclusion and increasing access to preschool for marginalized children. The support to these programmes for vulnerable children shows that it can significantly contribute to the increase of access to preschool. In the 15 municipalities working with the project the increased access has been in average of 15% with examples in some specific municipalities of an increase due to these project efforts of up to 60 to 100%. Preschool institution in Tutin developed specialized programmes which already and before delivery on the new kindergarten reached 50 more children and increased access for vulnerable children by more than 80 % in the municipality.

The purpose of the IMPRES project is to strengthen the conditions of preschool education for children, especially those from vulnerable groups, through improvements in the quality of preschool programmes and expansion of the capacities of preschool institutions which will enable parents to experience their right of choice and participation together with the principle of inclusion, i.e. to increase overall coverage of all programs and services, in particular for excluded populations.

The project IMPRES is funded by the European Union with 3,75 million EUR from the IPA financial instrument and implemented by SOFRECO and its partners Early Years and Internationaler Bund. Activities started in February 2011 and will continue until January 2014.

The EU/CoE Joint Project on Regional Support to Inclusive Education in South East Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Kosovo1) started in January 2013 with a durationof 35 months. The overall objective of the projectis to enhance social inclusion and social cohesion in the region by promoting inclusive education and training.

In order to achieve this objective, the project aims to promote the concept of inclusive education as a reform principle that respects and caters for diversity amongst all learners with a specific focus on those who are ata higher risk of marginalisation and exclusion.

The Project will increase the understanding of the benefits of inclusive education through the support and engagement of 49 pilot schools (7 per beneficiary: 3 primary, 2general secondary and 2 vocational secondary). Selected pilot schools will receive technical and financial support during the Project’s length, and regional network of inclusive “Pilot schools” (Inclusive SchoolNet) for mutual learning and sharing of experience, supported by a relevant web-platform will be established. 

Small grants of anaverage amount of EUR 9.500 will also be provided to the selected pilot schools for implementation of inclusive education principles. Beneficiaries’ ministries of Education are major partners in Project’s implementation and they fully support the work with pilot schools.

To achieve an open and transparent selection process, the project offers an opportunity to all interested schools who meet the criteria to apply. In order to learn from each other a mixture of schools with different levels of inclusive education policies will be selected. 

To shortlist the schools, the Council of Europe may organize interviews with directors from schools who expressed interest to participate, while the final selection will be decided by Evaluation Committee composed of representatives from Ministries of Education, the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

Schools will be selected by the Evaluation Committee on the basis of the following criteria:

Criteria 1: Presence of inclusive educational policies and practices

Schools should demonstrate existence of different dimensions of diversity in their environment(economic, socio, cultural, religious, linguistic differences, urban/rural, specific personal characteristics, for example students with disabilitiesor learning difficulties, etc.), and to demonstrate the ability to embrace diversity by presence of inclusive educational policies and practices.

Criteria 2: Determination and readiness for adopting inclusive learning environment

Interested schools shall demonstrate (by management, staff and parent association) that they are motivated for changing learning conditions to meet the student needs; and are committed to start the process of adopting strategic plans and policies to include teaching strategies for more diverse range of children and their families. Schools shall also demonstrate a willingness for partnerships with other schools, either within their country or cross-border within the context of the grant scheme.

Criteria 3: Promotion of approaches of cooperative and interactive teaching

Participating schools should demonstrate that they are willing to promote cooperative and interactive teaching and learning. 

Cooperative learning promotes the idea that young people's learning is best served when they have opportunities to learn with and from each other, and are shown how to do so effectively. 

Interactive teaching is a two way process where in the teacher modifies his or her approach inresponse to the needs of the learner(s). The interactive teacher is keenly aware of the learners and their different learning styles.

Criteria 4: Capacity to participate in the pilot project

Schools shall demonstrate that they have capacity to contribute to the project (capacity tomanage small grants, adequate premises, parent support)and school staff willing to take part inthe capacity development.

Criteria 5: Commitment of the school staff to inclusive approaches for all learners

Inclusion is about all learners, staff and parents. Itinvolves taking action to remove barriers to participation and learning. Inclusion also involves eliminating discrimination and promotinge quality. Participating schools should be committed to creating an environment where there is mutual respect and equality of opportunity for all staff and learners.

Interested schools should send the fulfilled applications for expression of interest to zorica.lesic@coe.int and copy to snezana.vukovic@mpn.gov.rs and borislava.maksimovic@mpn.gov.rs latest by 15 June 2013. 

* “This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence”

Women’s Association “Ruza” (Rose) presented the results of the “New Solutions to Old Crafts” Project at Hotel “Justiniana – Queen’s Town” on 22 May by a fashion show and an exhibition of souvenirs. The European Union and the Swiss Government supported this venture through the European Partnership with Municipalities EU PROGRES Project.

In the period of eight months, the Association hired 11 women skilled in old crafts to develop a new range of products by combining the traditional with the modern design, and all that with the support of students and their mentor professors from the Higher School of Design in Leskovac. Applying their skills in old crafts, the women also articulated their creativity by producing some souvenirs, haberdashery and jewelry, presented to public at the exhibition. These products are displayed both in fashion and souvenir catalogues.   

Women’s Association “Ruza” hopes for these women to continue their work with an adequate support of the Association and the local government, and thereby they will be able to create a solid basis for entering the market and secure a better economic position for themselves.

More information: 

Project Coordinator Slobodanka Pavlovic

Mobile phone #: 062/1531967; udruzenjezenaruza@gmail.com

Women’s Association RUZA, Laze Lazarevića bb, Lebane

Email: udruzenjezenaruza@gmail.com

Project Manager Predrag Stosic

Mobile phone #: 063/210513; predrag.stosic@gmail.com

Exhibition “The Alliance of European Cultural Cities” opened today at the European Union (EU) Information Center, the main hall of Youth Center, presenting 24 towns and municipalities, members of the Alliance of European Cultural Cities (AVEC).

There are towns and municipalities presented at the exhibition, among them Nis, Nis municipality of Medijana, Novi Pazar, Kragujevac, Niska Banja and Bela Palanka, but also some towns and municipalities from France, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Hungary and Romania.

The EU Information Center in cooperation with the Embassy of France and Nis municipality of Medijana organized the exhibition “Alliance of European Cultural Cities” aimed at presenting to the Serbian public the Alliance of European Cities that are interconnected through the cooperation in the field of culture, preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of common European values.

The Alliance of European Cultural Cities AVEC was established in 1997 as the European network of historical cities and territories and it has 34 members.

Their goal is building up Europe composed of regions and based on respecting differences and promoting exchange among cultures.

The first municipality from Serbia to become a member of the Alliance was Nis municipality of Medijana, which was received to this organization in 2008, and in 2009, the town of Nis also became its member.

Permanent Conference of towns and municipalities General Secretary Djordje Stanisic said that Medijana was highly interested in presenting its cultural heritage, both in Serbia and in abroad.

He emphasized that one of the best tools for doing so is through the network it is a member of and where the municipality of Medijana is working with dedication.

“I think that with the support of the Embassy of France and the engagement of our colleagues from French cities, but also with the EU support, we shall manage to enhance the interest of the European public in what is located in the territory of our country and which deserves attention, what we have to preserve and promote, and also to carry out with researching,” said Stanisic.

He added that, at this moment, there was no a better representative in Serbia than the municipality of Medijana.

“Together with eight other observers, we have become the most numerous members of the Alliance of European Cultural Cities after French cities,” said Head of the Nis municipality of Medijana, Nebojsa Krstic, at the opening of the exhibition.

He underlined that the Permanent Conference of cities and municipalities recognized the need to collect and present the cultural potential of Serbia, and not only in Serbia but throughout Europe.

Krstic announced that an initiative session for setting up a cultural board of Serbian towns and municipalities, i.e. the Serbian AVEC, would be held at Youth Center on 5 June, aimed at finding a solution for a common presentation of cultural heritage of towns and municipalities in Serbia to the European public.

“I wish this exhibition was an additional impulse for networking and that many links between Serbian towns and local governments and similar local governments in France were established in the near future, said Krstic.

Cooperation Attaché of French Embassy to Serbia Frederic Remay said that French town of Arles had supported the Nis municipality of Medijana to become a part of the network and added that he appreciated that other towns in Serbia also became its members, and also that their number was almost as high as the number of towns in France.

“I want some actual projects of cooperation to be implemented. We should be pragmatic and start with implementing smaller projects first,” said Remay.

According to him, the Alliance has launched a project called “Qualicities” which would enable cities to follow what has been done in the area of promotion and protection of the cultural and historical heritage.

He underlined that the cities presented at the exhibition were good examples of the way that Europe has been built, as well as the EU.

This year exhibition will be open at the EU Information Center until 31 May and then it moves to Marseille.