International Conference “New Stage in Serbia’s EU Integration – Chapter 22 – Regional Development and Financial Instruments”

The international conference “New Stage in Serbia’s EU Integration – Chapter 22 – Regional Development and Financial Instruments” was held on 7th May 2014 at the Assembly of AP Vojvodina and it was or

The international conference “New Stage in Serbia’s EU Integration – Chapter 22 – Regional Development and Financial Instruments” was held on 7th May 2014 at the Assembly of AP Vojvodina and it was organised by the European Affairs Fund of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

The conference was opened by the Director of the European Affairs Fund of AP Vojvodina, Siniša Lazić, emphasizing that Serbia made a long way to become a potential candidate country for EU membership, that there was no doubt about Serbia’s efforts to continue the EU integration process and that it was going towards becoming a full EU member state. The Provincial Secretary for Interregional Cooperation and Local Self-Government, Branislav Bugarski said that Vojvodina had great expectations of participating in the negotiating process from the very beginning, becoming a constructive partner and contributing to the process.

The Programme and Coordination Manager of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, Konstantinos Soupilas also addressed the audience and talked about the importance of the negotiating process and the need for the government to take the responsibility. According to him, the EU membership would allow Serbia the possibility to be more active in the foreign market, improve the infrastructure, be more competitive and have a better standard of life. Croatia’s experience in the accession process was presented by Helga Bubanović Devčić, Assistant Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, wehreas Ana Ilić, Assistant Director of the Serbian European Integration Office answered the questions of the attendees.