Cross-border cooperation of Serbia with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro - Agreements signed for EU's donations worth 5.2 million euros

(Vincent Degert and Bozidar Djelic)

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development Bozidar Djelic and Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert signed today €5.2 million agreements with beneficiaries whose projects have been approved for financing in the first public invitation as part of the programs of Serbia’s cross-border cooperation with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Djelic and Degert also signed a financial agreement for the allocation of additional funds from the EU budget for the relevant cross-border cooperation programs, namely a €1.1 million agreement for cooperation with Bosnia-Herzegovina and €500,000 agreement for cooperation with Montenegro.

At the signing ceremony at Palisad hotel, Degert pointed out that the first call for cross-border cooperation projects had been followed by huge enthusiasm, and that there had been four times more proposals than funds.

He said that regional cooperation between those three countries was at a very high level and said he expected the effects to be visible at the local level as well.

Djelic said that the signed 30 projects covered a wide range of needs of citizens – from drinking water, tourism, entrepreneurship and care for people with disabilities.

- Cross-border cooperation is one of Europe's most successful projects we have in the region - said Djelic and announced the approval of new projects totaling approximately €3.2 million in 2011.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Charge d'Affairs of the EU Delegation to Bosnia-Herzegovina Boris Jarocevic, Director of the Directorate for European Integration in Bosnia-Herzegovina Nevenka Savic and Deputy Minister for European Integration of Montenegro Vanja Grgurovic.

The EU is funding 17 projects worth €3.24 million in cooperation between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, while 13 cross-border cooperation projects between Serbia and Montenegro are funded with nearly €2 million.

The signing of the agreements has been organized by the EU Delegation to Serbia and the joint technical secretariats of the Cross-border cooperation program of Serbia with Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Cross-border cooperation program of Serbia with Montenegro, with the support of the EU Integration Office of the Serbian government, the EU Integration Directorate of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Montenegrin Ministry for European Integration.

These financial agreements between Serbia and the European Commission are signed on annual basis and, thanks to them, the funds for the cross-border cooperation projects are put at the disposal of our country.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Delegacija Evropske unije u Republici Srbiji Beograd

Palisad a.d. Zlatibor

Ministarstvo za evropske integracije Republike Srbije

Direkcija za evropske integracije Sarajevo

Ministarstvo za evropske integracije Podgorica

European Commission Brussels