EU financing integral territorial development in Serbia – Joint emergency medical care system planned, here’s what other projects are planned too

The Ministry for European Integration of the Government of the Republic of Serbia announced that contracts had been awarded in Belgrade to local self-governments for the implementation of the first projects within the “EU Support for Integral Territorial Development - EU INTEGRA” program.

More than EUR 4.5 million in EU grants have been provided for the implementation of five projects in 14 local self-governments, while the total value of the proposed projects is more than EUR 6.8 million, the Government’s website reported.

State Secretary of the Ministry Mira Radenovic Bojic emphasized on that occasion that the projects to be implemented by those local self-governments were not just investments, but also an example of how important challenges were solved through partnerships and joint planning.

These projects will provide citizens with greater access to healthcare, improved energy efficiency of facilities in local areas, as well as better environmental protection, and in some of the 14 municipalities or cities, public services will be modernized and public spaces renovated, Radenovic Bojic specified.

According to her, in particular, it is important that many local self-governments have understood the importance of pooling capacities and joint action and in this way, precisely through an integrated approach, have obtained these funds.

This is the European model of integrated territorial development that we want to develop in Serbia and which we support through the “EU INTEGRA” program because it connects people, resources and ideas with the aim of balanced development, concluded the State Secretary.

Head of the Cooperation Department of the European Union Delegation to Serbia Mauro di Veroli said that the European Union strongly supported the development of local self-governments in Serbia, which played a key role in improving the quality of life of citizens and ensuring sustainable economic growth.

Through regional cooperation and territorial development strategies, we enable better planning and implementation of projects that bring concrete benefits to local communities, stated Veroli and congratulated the local self-governments that had been selected within the first call for proposals of the EU INTEGRA program.

He assessed that projects covering healthcare, renewable energy sources, green mobility, urban regeneration and waste management were examples of integrated initiatives based on partnership, which contributed to reducing regional disparities, creating new jobs and attracting investments to strengthen local economies.

The European Union, as he reiterated, remains committed to strengthening local governments as the foundation of long-term and balanced development of Serbia.

According to him, the projects implemented within the program are based on territorial strategies developed in the previous cycle of European Union support and represent the first concrete investments in the implementation of the model of integral territorial development in Serbia.

The Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), Nikola Tarbuk, assessed that the awarding of the contract confirmed the increasing willingness of local self-governments in Serbia to plan development strategically, through partnerships and joint projects that went beyond the borders of individual municipalities.

For the SCTM, it is particularly important that this first call shows that the European model of integrated territorial development is being concretely implemented at the local level and confirms the value of inter-municipal cooperation, he pointed out.

Tarbuk emphasized that those projects were not only investments but also an incentive to further strengthen the capacities of cities and municipalities for more complex development initiatives in the future.

The EU INTEGRA program, with a total value of EUR 15 million, is financed by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III).

The Ministry for European Integration is the main beneficiary of the program, while the program is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities.

The goal of the aforementioned program is to improve the capacities of local self-governments and partners for the implementation of the European model of integrated territorial development in Serbia, through concrete projects that contribute to sustainable local development and the improvement of the quality of life of citizens.

Through the aforementioned program, the European Union supports the development of local governments, strengthens their capacities for planning and implementing projects and encourages balanced regional development, in accordance with the principles of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy.

Within the first call, projects were supported that include the establishment of a joint emergency medical care system, energy renovation of public buildings, development of green mobility and modernization of the municipal waste management system in several regions:

1. The City of Pirot, in partnership with Dimitrovgrad, Babusnica and Bela Palanka, will implement the “Health for All” project, which involves the establishment of a joint emergency medical care system, which will improve the accessibility and speed of response of health services in this region;

2. The City of Uzice, together with partners from Bajina Basta, Pozega and Cajetina, will implement the “Prevention, Response and Adaptation to Climate Change” project, which combines investments in renewable energy sources, urban infrastructure and the civil protection system to strengthen resilience to climate change;

3. The City of Krusevac will implement the project “City Hall - Energy Efficient, Accessible and Open to Visitors”, which includes the energy renovation and modernization of the city administration building, which will improve energy efficiency, accessibility of public services and preservation of cultural heritage;

4. The Municipality of Merosina, together with the City of Nis and the municipalities of Svrljig and Gadzin Han, will implement the project “Safe, Inclusive and Innovative Public Spaces”, which includes the revitalization of public spaces and the development of green urban and rural mobility; and

5. The City of Bor will implement the project “Smart Green Islands”, which includes the modernization of the municipal waste management system through modern infrastructure and digital solutions for monitoring and optimizing waste collection.