The Head of the European Union Delegation Ambassador Sem Fabrizi began his two-day visit to Southwest Serbia in Novi Pazar with a meeting with Mayor Nihat Bisevac with whom he discussed the vision of that town regarding the further development and cooperation with the European Union. According to the EU Ambassador, apart from Serbia’s EU negotiating process, specific examples of EU support to the development of the country are also important.
“The project of constructing the new Emergency Ward building is the result of good cooperation among local self-governments, central authorities and the EU. It will serve the citizens of Novi Pazar and the surrounding neighbourhoods, and we are therefore glad to have enabled the implementation of this project,” the Head of the EU Delegation Sem Fabrizi said during his visit to the newly constructed building, for which the EU has allocated EUR680,000.
Ambassador Fabrizi pointed out that the EU remained dedicated to the development of Novi Pazar and encouraged the representatives of local self-government to seize the opportunities provided by the new EU programme for local development – EU PRO, aimed at the economic and social development of 99 towns and municipalities in Serbia.
“By constructing the new Emergency Ward building, Novi Pazar has proved to be a reliable partner of the EU, which has in the past few years invested millions of Euros in projects that have significantly improved the quality of life for the citizens of Novi Pazar,” the Mayor Nihat Bisevac said adding that the new Emergency Ward will substantially improve the quality of medical services for citizens as well as the working conditions for the medical staff.
The Head of the EU Delegation also visited a young entrepreneur Mirza Alickovic, one of the 22 young people who, with the support of the EU and the Government of Switzerland, have received equipment worth EUR185,000 and started their own businesses.
“With the support of the European Union to the tune of EUR10,000 I opened my own company for the web-site and app development and hired two of my fellow citizens,” Mirza Alickovic said.
“Both Serbia and Europe need young, intelligent and courageous people who will create economic growth and ensure the development of their own businesses and communities,” Ambassador Fabrizi said, pointing out that information technologies were an export branch of Serbia and that it was important that Novi Pazar is part of that driving force.
Moreover, Ambassador Fabrizi invited entrepreneurs from Novi Pazar and other towns to grasp the opportunity and apply for the EU PRO programme public call for proposals aimed at micro and small enterprises, for which the EU has allocated EUR4,5 million.
In Novi Pazar, the Head of the EU Delegation held a meeting with the President of Bosniak National Council Sulejman Ugljanin, Mufti Mevlud-ef Dudic, President of the Islamic Community Mesihat in Serbia and the Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community of Serbia Sead Nasufovic and the representatives of civil society organisations and the media.
Ambassador Fabrizi then attended the opening ceremony of the European Film Festival in Novi Pazar, organised by the Delegation of the European Union and EU Info Centre in cooperation with the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). The Head of the EU Delegation will spend the second day of his visit in Sjenica.
The European Union supports the activities of EU PRO, a programme contributing to a more balanced socio-economic development of Serbia, with a total of EUR25 million. The programme seeks to improve competitiveness of micro and small enterprises and business environment and to advance social cohesion in 99 local self-governments in two Serbian regions: Sumadija and Western Serbia, and Southern and Eastern Serbia. All activities on the ground are implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
