Ambassador of the European Union Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador of Italy Luca Gori and Ambassador of Slovakia Michal Pavuk visited Kragujevac, where they could see examples of how cooperation between Serbia, the EU and member states improves the lives of local people.
At the beginning, the three Ambassadors talked with the mayor of Kragujevac, Nikola Dašić, about current projects and possibilities for further cooperation. After the meeting, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the EU Delegation and the City of Kragujevac on the occasion of the opening of the Europe House in that city.
“By signing the Memorandum and opening the Europe House, we wanted to be in Kragujevac, an important regional centre, in addition to Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš, bearing in mind the importance of cooperation in various spheres between Serbia and the European Union. It is important that such a centre exists here as a place where we will be able to bring Europe closer to the citizens and show everything that the European Union can do, what it does and what we can do together,” said Ambassador Giaufret, who also said that the EU and Kragujevac already has developed cooperation, a large number of implemented projects and ongoing activities.
“Using EU funds, we have implemented a number of beautiful projects, from the Pedestrian Bridge on Lepenica to the famous Koš in Veliki Park, but there is much more ahead of us. We already have over 20 prepared projects, and one of the most significant is the opening of the European House in the city centre. It will be a facility in which we will present our cooperation with the European Union in a number of ways and enable the people of Kragujevac to become familiar with the values that it inherits and the cultures that intertwine in it,” said Dašić.
The Ambassador of Italy, Luca Gori, pointed out that this visit is an opportunity to show how the EU works cohesively with its members with the common goal of Serbia joining the EU as soon as possible, as well as how strong the economic ties are between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union. Italy, as a member, has extremely strong economic ties with Serbia, and the presence of Italian companies is particularly large in this region, said Gori.
Slovakia’s ambassador, Michal Pavuk, said that his country is a good example of everything that Europe can do for a country on the road to European integration and that Serbia has Slovakia’s full support in that process. The EU does not only concern capitals, but especially smaller towns and cities, and it is important that we all contribute to that process, as well as reap benefits from it, said Pavuk.
The Head of the EU Delegation also met with representatives of the opposition in the City Assembly of Kragujevac.
The ambassadors continued their visit with a tour of the Regional Office of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, the first such institution at the local level in Serbia. The EU donated IT equipment to the Agency that helps them in their daily work.
“The value of the equipment is reflected in the establishment of better system stability and availability of data and services, with which the EU makes an immeasurable contribution to the work of the Agency. By obtaining modern data handling equipment, an even higher level of reliability of the Agency’s work is achieved. Finally, the infrastructural component of the project covers the needs of the storage system and database for the next seven years”, says the director of the Agency, Dejan Damnjanović.
“The proximity to citizens of agencies dealing with the prevention of corruption contributes to a better understanding of specific problems, enabling them to have more targeted and effective interventions aimed at solving corruption problems at the local level. This is crucial for fostering trust in government institutions, but also for supporting local social and economic development,” says Ambassador Giaufret.
The Ambassadors and the mayor visited the State Data Center, where they were welcomed by the Minister of Information and Telecommunications Mihajlo Jovanović and his associates. This institution is an important part of the digitisation of public administration in Serbia. The EU supports digital transformation, which is an essential part of the new Growth Plan of the Western Balkans. Serbia also became part of the EU initiative for high-performance computers, thus entering the European supercomputer ecosystem.
“The European Union is very focused on the digital transition, it is a revolution that is happening all over the world, in Europe and in Serbia, and we want to be with Serbia in implementing that revolution in the coming years. Serbia is already part of the Digital Europe programme, it is already part of the initiative for high-performance computers, and now we have a Growth Plan that is there to increase the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU Single Market, capacity building and digitisation will be a major priority of the new Growth Plan”, said Ambassador Giaufret.
The Ambassadors also visited the Italian Company PMC Automotive, which is making car parts.
The Ambassadors of the EU and Slovakia also visited EU projects that are supported through the EU PRO Plus programme. Fablab Technologies deals with the development of 3D solutions, quality control, automatic processing of measurement data and digital production. The Business Innovation Center and the Development Business Center Kragujevac worked to increase the competitiveness of local companies and digitise sales. These two organisations also help the local civil sector.
Finally, the Ambassadors met with representatives of the non-governmental organisation Res Publica, and representatives of the local media Kragujevačke novine and Glas Šumadije, where they discussed the challenges of local media work.
View this post on Instagram
