Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, together with EU Member States’ ambassadors and representatives, met with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Government ministers during their stay in Nis. Following the meeting with PM Vucic, Davenport said the EU recognised Serbia’s role in the region and wanted to contribute to stepping up the regional cooperation.
At a joint press conference, Davenport highlighted it was his and EU ambassadors special honour to hold a meeting with top Serbian officials in Nis. As he underlined, Nis is an important gateway to South Serbia and EU ambassadors are aware of the city’s potential to act as a driving force of growth.
Davenport said that EU Member States’ ambassadors had a good exchange with Prime Minister and other ministers. He commended the meetings between Serbian and Albanian Prime Ministers, Vucic and Rama, in particular.
“We have all recognised the major role Serbia plays in the region. We are well aware of the Serbia-Albania meetings held in Belgrade and Nis in the last 48 hours, especially the Serbian-Albanian Business Forum,“ Davenport said.
“This send a strong signal to wider regional cooperation to which the EU belongs and wants to contribute. Serbia will move forward in the EU accession proces, the EU is part of your growth, your prosperity,” Davenport said.
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The regional cooperation has to be beneficial for citizens and the EU wants to foster and support it, EU Ambassador said. “We want to contribute to your efforts. We have a positive accession agenda. Serbia will make further progress in this process and open additional chapters,“ he said.
Davenport said the EU wanted to make part of Serbian reform agenda, modernisation, growth and prosperity.
“We will do our best in the future to tap all our resources in order to make South East Serbia develop at the same pace as the rest of the country,” Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic said and thanked Michael Davenport and other ambassadors for coming to Nis where the Government session took place.
“I am happy to have a chance to show the people in Nis and the entire South and South East Serbia that the EU is not only about the citizens of Belgrade but the whole country,” Vucic said.
“I am glad we could enjoy together the things we saw, the new Clinical Centre which will open in March 2017 and other projects we could not implement without the support from the EU and the World Bank,” Vucic said.
EU Info Point Nis hosted the presentation of the EU project aimed at the development of local self-government
In the presence of Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and ministers Jadranka Joksimovic and Ivica Dacic the EU Info Point Nis held a public presentation of the project aimed at the development of local self-government.
Davenport expressed his appreciation to the city of Nis, its Mayor and Mayor’s team for their tireless engagement with the EU Delegation in opening the Info Point in the very heart of the city through which the EU will be promoted in Nis and its surroundings.
“We want to show you the ongoing and planned projects in Nis and its surroundings, that is South Serbia,“ Davenport said and stressed that he perceived Nis as a gateway to South Serbia.
The Mayor of Nis Darko Bulatovic described the event as unique because, as he put it, never before had all the EU Member States’ ambassadors paid a visit to the city.
“Also because Nis is the venue of discussions about the future of our region, country, economic development and progress in every respect, the future of our city, living standard, the EU, peace, new jobs, corridors, contracts, the high-way to Adriatic sea,“ the Mayor said.
He stressed the construction of high-way which not only led to Albania and Adriatic sea, but also passed through the region connecting us with Europe.
“We are at the EU Info Point in Nis, a place where our citizens can seek information about our progress on the EU path, European values, ask questions about the possibilities for their personal development, travelling, cooperation,“ Bulatovic said.
Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of 22 EU countries visited the Fortress of Nis where they learned more about the history of the city.
