A chance for greater cooperation with Romania

Timisoara, Romania – Emphasis has once again been placed on the necessity of participation of partners from both sides of the border at a meeting of the Romania-Serbia CBC Programme in Timisoara, during the second call for the submission of project proposal, which is open until 18 December 2006.

”The Office for European Affairs can provide direct contact between potential partners and assist those interested in cross-border partner search”, said Andrija Aleksić from the Office for European Affairs at the meeting in Romania. There is no harm in mentioning that it is absolutely necessary to have a partner on the other side of the border, otherwise, projects will not even be taken into consideration.

The funds available through the Romania-Serbia CBC Programme within the second call for proposals amount to €2 million, and eligible applicants are the following: municipalities, non-profit organisations, citizens’ association, sports and cultural associations and NGOs from the counties of South Banat, North Banat, Middle Banat, Braničevo and Bor.

”Time and experience will provide new opportunities for regional cooperation. Some experiences have already been applied through the Programmes INTERREG and CARDS, and the region can expect new challenges in early 2007, when the IPA Programme is about to start and through which projects worth €148 million can be financed in the next year. It depends on us how much of that money we will be able to provide by means of well-prepared projects”, said Aleksić.