EU finances regional development of Serbia with 25m EUR

Representatives of European Agency for Reconstruction represented 25m EUR worth of program of support of European Union to the regional social-economic development of Serbia in Belgrade.

Realization of the program will start in the second half of year 2008 and it will last for three years. It is financed from the funds of preadmission fund IPA. The project includes support to regional development at the state level, support to the regional development initiatives and financial support to local social and economic initiatives.

- Total of 14m EUR is set aside for concrete projects of municipalities, business organizations, enterprises, non-government organization and others – said the spokesperson of the project, Mladen Milanović.

Minister of Economy and Regional Development, Mlađan Dinkić, pointed out that the difference in the level of development between municipalities and regions in Serbia was very larger, and that the proportion between the most developed and the least developed municipality amounts to 1:15. He announced the series of measures for even development of the regions, the realization of which will be financed from the funds of the budget and the preadmission funds of European Union.