Signed contracts between the European Agency for Reconstruction and institutions from Vojvodina and Belgrade

Novi Sad, 29 June – The formal ceremony of signing contracts between the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) and institutions from Vojvodina and Belgrade, whose projects have been chosen for financing in the second call for proposals of the EU CBC Programme between the Republic of Serbia and Republic of Hungary, has been held at the Executive Council of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The total value of 22 approved projects is €1.8 million. ”The Hungary-Serbia Neighbourhood Programme is the first of the five programmes of this type in Serbia”, said John White, EAR representative, and added that the interest, readiness and results of the first call were an invitation for the second one, which ended with today’s signing of new contracts. On behalf of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Dr. Gábor Lodi, Vice-president, greeted the participants of today’s meeting. He informed the audience that 19 projects out of 22 were Vojvodinian ones, with the value of €1.3 million. That justified the establishment of the Office for European Affairs of Vojvodina, which succeeded in animating and preparing all municipalities in Vojvodina for writing such projects. Vice-president Lodi said that he was pleased to participate in one of the projects, concerning protection against natural disasters knowing no borders, as we were recently unfortunate to experience with river flooding. The Vice-president of the Provincial Government, Dr. Gábor Lodi expressed his conviction that it was necessary for the representatives of Vojvodina to be a part of state organizations, NGOs and organizations that are engaged in establishing relations with the EU. The projects, for which implementation the contracts were signed, cover different areas, for example infrastructure, environmental and flood protection, education, cooperation between institutions and business associations. They were proposed by the Executive Council of Vojvodina, Provincial Secretariat for Privatization, Enterpreneurship and SMEs, Provincial Secretariat of Healthcare and Social Policy, Public Water Management Company “Vode Vojvodine”, Secondary Economic School and Teachers College in Sombor, Secondary Technical School, Faculty of Economy, Open University and Tennis Club Palić in Subotica, Regional Agency for SME Development ALMA MONS, Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, Development Agency of Mali Iđoš Municipality, municipalities of Sombor, Kanjiža, Subotica, Temerin and others. The ceremony of signing the contracts was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Slobodan Ilić, PhD, who characterized today’s event as a continuation of cooperation with the EU, Assistant Minister of Finance, Gordana Lazarević, and Director of the Office for European Affairs, Predrag Novikov.