It was said on 16 September 2024 in Vranje, during the visit to projects that Serbia has implemented with North Macedonia and Bulgaria, that cross-border cooperation programmes were of great importance for people living in border areas.
Minister of European Integration Tanja Miščević stated that the implementability of Serbia’s projects during the IPA II programme was between 94 and 98 per cent.
Miščević, along with Minister of Local Self-Government of North Macedonia Zlatko Perinski and Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia Emanuele Giaufret, visited four cross-border cooperation projects.
Miščević said that the first task of the Sector for Emergency Management in Vranje was to assist North Macedonia during the fires.
She added that if there was concrete support, it was that. “The City Waste Management in Vranje, as well as other local self-governments, struggle with waste management, and these projects help in that regard,” Miščević evaluated.
Perinski called on municipalities participating in cooperation programmes to apply by 22 October and utilise the EUR 5.4 million available in the call.
Giaufret assessed that it was important to have cooperation among neighbours, adding that it would lead to solving social issues and problems, especially for vulnerable groups.
He noted that another important component of the project was enhancing tourist infrastructure and added that Serbia would soon announce calls for cross-border cooperation programmes with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Giaufret mentioned that Serbia also cooperated with EU member states, including Croatia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, and that similar cooperation programmes existed among EU countries themselves, representing significant opportunities for citizens.
The Sector for Emergency Management is a beneficiary of the project “Joint Emergency Interventions in Serbian and Bulgarian Cross-Border Region,” which has led to the acquisition of equipment, development of strategic documents, and strengthening of the sector’s capacities, particularly in their units in Vranje and Leskovac.
The Public Utility Company Komrad implemented the project “Improvement and Protection of Human Health and Environment by Reducing Pollution Risks through Efficient Waste Management”.
The project involved collaboration between four public utility companies, including Komrad from Vranje and three from different municipalities in North Macedonia. It included mapping and cleaning illegal waste dumps, landscaping, and training around 1,400 people.
The capacities of companies were upgraded, and 944 new waste containers were provided to citizens.
The Public Utility Company Vodovod Vranje was involved in the implementation of the project “Strengthening International Relations between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia with the Common Goal of Improving the Environment.”
Owing to the project “EU for Energy Transition: Covenant of Mayors in the Western Balkans and Türkey,” the Vranje City Administration building received photovoltaic panels for electricity generation for its own needs. This project enables significant savings in electricity consumption in the City Administration building, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthens resilience to climate change through sustainable development.
Source: FoNet