The partnership between Serbia and the EU is much more than a political process of association; it forms a much deeper and stronger cooperation in various areas, said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic addressing the audience at the closing ceremony of European PROGRES programme. Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic congratulated the municipalities which took part in the European PROGRES, a programme that enabled the opening of 94 businesses and creation of 700 jobs. Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi announced a new project – EU PRO – intended to cover 99 municipalities.

Brnabic: EU countries account for the bulk of Serbia’s foreign investment and trade exchange

Fonet

EU Member States account for the largest portion of both Serbia’s foreign direct investment and trade exchange as they are Serbia’s main export destination, said Prime Minister Brnabic.

According to her, there is a number of cooperation programmes ran in collaboration with the European Investment Bank through partnerships with SMEs and start-ups.

Brnabic said that Serbia received EUR80 million worth of budget support for the upgrading and increasing the efficiency of public administration, EUR27 million for education, and has EUR50 million earmarked for research, development and science in the next three years.

Prime Minister thanked the EU and Swiss Government, the two donors to the European PROGRESS that have funded 254 of its projects, and reiterated that Serbia’s membership in the EU remains the country’s top strategic goal and priority.

“Serbia is Europe,” Brnabic said.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic congratulated the municipalities which took part in the European PROGRES, a programme that enabled the opening of 94 businesses and creation of 700 jobs.

34 municipalities – all of which belong to the category of underdeveloped local self-governments – were also part of the European PROGRES, said Joksimovic, reminding that having municipalities familiar with Union’s structural funds is one of Serbia’s assets.

Joksimovic thanked the EU and Switzerland for investing around EUR20 and EUR4 million through the programme, respectively.

Fabrizi: New EU PRO project to encompass 99 municipalities

Fonet

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi said that the closing ceremony was taking place just a week after the publication of Enlargement Strategy for the Western Balkans.

“The Strategy is important as it assigns tasks and reforms all candidate countries must carry out, but also because it sends a new invitation to strengthen European engagement,” Fabrizi said, announcing a fresh project, EU PRO, which will cover 99 municipalities.

According to Fabrizi, nearly 70 per cent of the EU acquis will be enforced at the local level the reason which is why municipalities must enhance their administrative capacity.

The EU is already main trade partner, the largest donor and investor in Serbia, Fabrizi reminded and added that he was happy with the programme as it dealt with real human situations, improving people’s lives on the ground.

The Union funded the European PROGRES – a programme that covered 34 municipalities – with EUR19.6 million.

Swiss Ambassador Philippe Guex said that the project was a success due to commitment of and effort made by local authorities, civil society, private businesses and citizens themselves.

He said that Switzerland had allocated EUR100 million over the next four years in the form of bilateral assistance for Serbia, adding that the European PROGRES will be transformed into the Swiss PRO project worth EUR6-7 million.