Municipal support and improvement of municipal infrastructure and services have been one of the top priorities of the European Union in Serbia, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi, said today in Sabac.

During a one-day visit to Sabac, EU Ambassador met with Mayor of Sabac Nebojsa Zelenovic. The two officials attended a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection dedicated to the state of play of the wastewater treatment plant in Sabac, the construction of which has been supported by the EU with €10 million. The rest of the money for the project worth over €18 million was allocated by the local self-government and the state.

EU Ambassador and his hosts visited the facility; addressing the media, Fabrizi said that this was one of the most important projects in the field of wastewater treatment in Serbia.

“This is the first fully operational wastewater treatment system in Serbia. It is the result of efforts made by authorities at both local and central level and the European Union.”

He stressed that the facility would increase the quality of life in Sabac, in line with European standards, adding that “citizens are the final beneficiaries of this joint effort of the EU and Serbia – some 126,000 people who, starting from now on, will enjoy better health and cleaner environmental in the area they live.”

“This is an excellent example of how inter-institutional cooperation can be successfully established to the benefit of Serbian citizens. I assure you that you have EU’s full support and that we will continue to encourage further similar projects in the future.”

Fabrizi said that it is expected that IPA and later other EU funds will provide the largest part of the funds for the required infrastructure investments and invited Serbian municipalities to take more ownership and prepare better projects so that they can apply more efficiently for the future EU funds.

Together with the Mayor of Sabac, EU Ambassador planted a tree near the sludge line of the facility.

EU Ambassador delivered equipment purchased within a project implemented in the framework of the CBC Croatia-Serbia programme – “Joint Contribution to Enhanced Transnational Emergency Preparedness in the Sava Basin”: two off-road vehicles (worth €56,000) and various equipment (€40,000) for the Ecology Mobile Unit of the Public Health Institute in Sabac and first aid kits for Health Centre Dr Draga Ljocic in Sabac (€22,000).

He stressed that the project was very important for the EU integration process, in particular for the part dealing with environment protection.

In the aftermath of 2014 floods, the EU granted nearly €170 million to Serbia. Floods know no boundaries and nationalities and it is great that Serbian and Croatian authorities can work together on this issue, Fabrizi said about the project aimed at enhancing the capacity of institutions on both sides of the Sava River to cope with emergencies.

At the end of the visit, EU Ambassador visited a bridge over Dumaca River, in the vicinity of Sabac, whose reconstruction started in July 2017 thanks to EU donation.