Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, together with EU Member States’ Ambassadors – Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Cyprus and Slovakia – and Czech and German embassies’ representatives, visited Valjevo and EU-funded projects implemented in the city.
Following the meeting with the Mayor of Valjevo Slobodan Gvozdenovic and local self-government representatives, a presentation was held of the phase II of the EU Assistance for Flood Relief Programme for which the EU has earmarked nearly EUR8 million for projects aimed at reconstruction and flood prevention projects in the city.
“The European Union, its Member States and their teams started helping Serbia immediately after the floods. As friends, we will continue to assist in flood protection and prevention in your country which participates in the EU Solidarity Fund as if it were already an EU country,” EU Ambassador to Serbia Davenport said, adding that he is proud of the cooperation with Valjevo where tangible results of the reconstruction worth nearly EUR8 million are easily seen.
Assistance for flood prevention
During his visit to Valjevo, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia said the EU would invest money in the construction of protective barriers on the river Kolubara and its tributaries in order to prevent flooding in future.
Davenport, during his visit to the embankment on the river Kolubara, said the Union had allocated more than EUR8 million for flood aftermath in Valjevo.
“23 houses have been constructed, 20 households have been provided support for the reconstruction, more than 1 000 farmers received assistance to restart their production,” Ambassador Davenport said and added that the EU also supported small local businesses and helped to build a bridge on the Obnica river.
“We will continue to work together on flood prevention to keep floods from happening in future,” Davenport said.
Gvozdenovic thanked the EU for its assistance and said he hoped Valjevo, being an important Serbian economy centre with the population of 100 000, would again strengthen its economy.
The construction of protective barriers is expected to start in 2017. The construction will last 18-24 month.The cost of the works is estimated at EUR4 million.
Water for Valjevo
Together with Ambassadors and the Mayor of Valjevo, Davenport visited the dam and hydro accumulation “Rovni” on the river Jablanica which will supply citizens of Valjevo and surrounding area with fresh water.
Davenport said the EU helped to construct the dam “Rovni” with EUR8 million and stressed “what matters most is that water from said accumulation will be in line with the highest European standards.”
Gvozdenovic thanked the EU, adding that the construction of the dam and accumulation created conditions to solve the problem of water supply.
“Today we had an excellent opportunity to show how we use the money from the EU – the biggest donor for flood relief in Serbia,“ said Sandra Nedeljkovic, Deputy Director of the Serbian Government Office for Management of Public Investment.
“I am impressed with what I saw today: applying the European principles of cohesion and solidarity. Also, I admire you for having the strength to turn the disaster into a chance and seize it to create new opportunities,” said Slovak Ambassador Dagmar Repčeková.
EU solidarity with Valjevo
The delegation then visited the medical high school “Dr Miša Pantić“ for whose reconstruction the EU allocated EUR100 000 from the EU Solidarity Fund.
Davenport also paid a visit to the Valjevo public library “Ljubomir Nenadović“ and presented it with publications and brochures about the Union within the project “EUTEKA – the EU at your library.”
“The EU has donated bookshelves to 47 public libraries in Serbia where readers would find publications with accurate information on the EU, its values and Serbia’s EU accession process,” Davenport said.
Thanks to the money from the IPA and Solidarity Fund, 23 houses have been constructed and 20 households reconstructed in Valjevo following the floods. Some 1 150 farmers have received assistance to restart their production, whereas 25 small businesses have received support to revive their business activity. Medical high school and the infirmary in village Divci have been reconstructed and a new bridge constructed on the river Obnica. In the coming period, the EU will fund regulation of the Kolubara, Obnica and Jablanica rivers in order to prevent future disasters.
“Words can hardly describe the scope of the disaster that hit Valjevo. I thank the European Union for all the previous and future assistance and support,” the Mayor of Valjevo Slobodan Gvozdenovic said.
