Serbia joins EU Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program

Serbian Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy Zoran Djordjevic and the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi, signed the Agreement on Joining the EU Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program on July 16.

The objective of this EU instrument, as announced on the government's official website, is promotion, protection and application of the rights securing the equality to the citizens, which are guaranteed by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, as well as by International human rights conventions.

The total budget of this Program for the period from 2014 till 2020 amounts to around EUR 440 million.

Following the signing of the agreement at the Palace of Serbia, Djordjevic said that the ministry would work on those projects with non-governmental organizations and local self-governments in the field of rights and equality, inclusion of Roma people and countering violence and all forms of discrimination.

The Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy will participate with 20% in order for us to apply to the public invitation together, the minister added and said that the ministry was in charge of chapters 2 and 19 in the pre-accession negotiations with the EU.

Using the example of the cooperation with the EU Delegation in Serbia in solving the migrant crisis, he underlined that Serbia had done everything in its power to take care of underage migrants, using the proceeds from EU funds in the best possible way.

In this segment, Serbia has shown that it is the equal of EU states, Djordjevic said.

Fabrizi emphasized that Serbia was the first among the countries of the Western Balkans to join the said program, funded by the EC until 2020, and added that the project was important for Serbia's accession to the EU, as it encompasses obligations within chapters 23 and 24.

The program pertains to fighting discrimination, racism, xenophobia and homophobia, other forms of intolerance, the promotion of people with disabilities, gender equality, prevention of violence against children, women and other vulnerable groups, he said.

Ministarstvo za rad, zapošljavanje, boračka i socijalna pitanja Republike Srbije

REC

EU REC Program

EU Rights Equality and Citizenship Program

Agreement on Joining EU Rights Equality and Citizenship Program

Zoran Djordjevic

Sem Fabrizi

Chapter 2

Chapter 19

Chapter 23

Chapter 24