Visit to Subotica within the Specialized Programme
On Saturday, 16 November, the first field visit within the 6th cycle of the Specialised Programme “Management of Regional Development through EU Funds” was successfully completed.
The objective of the field visit was to familiarize the participants with examples of best practice of EU projects in Vojvodina. At the Town Hall in Subotica, the participants were welcomed by Božidarka Golubović, Head of the Department for Local Economic Development. At the beginning, Ms. Golubović emphasized the importance of the Specialised Programme, since she was a participant in the fourth cycle of the Programme. She indicated that, thanks to the Programme, she had the opportunity to familiarise herself in detail about the development and implementation of EU projects and networking with other participants. She told the participants of the ongoing cycle that, nevertheless, best practice was gained in practice.
After the introductory part, Ms. Golubović presented several EU projects that the city of Subotica was participating in. One of the projects was the S.O.S. which dealt with the unique legacy of the secession period of Osijek and Subotica. The main objective of the project was to find a common cultural heritage shared by the cities of Osijek and Subotica and to revitalize the heritage of the Secession style. Moreover, the plan included the development of a new tourism product by creating new thematic routes based on Art Nouveau architecture, as well as the development of a plan for the reconstruction of the Town Hall in Subotica (36,000 m2 in size) built in Art Nouveau-style and the development of Sakuntala Park in Croatia (the famous 19th-century Art Nouveau park). The project was approved under the INTERREG IPA CBC Croatia-Serbia, and partners were the Tourist Board of the City of Osijek (Lead Beneficiary), the Tourism Organization of the City of Subotica, City of Osijek, City of Subotica and the Slavonia and Baranya Regional Development Agency Ltd for International and Regional Cooperation. The total amount of the project was EUR 1,115,640.05. A lot of other projects were also presented, and on some projects, one of the partners was the Provincial Secretariat for Regional Development, Interregional Cooperation and Local Self-Government.
The great support of the Provincial Government was also highlighted, i.e. its call for proposals for co-financing EU projects.
The participants asked a number of questions and after the presentation at the City Hall, the group headed to the famous synagogue in Subotica. The participants were courteously welcomed by Illés Hajnalka, Synagogue Coordinator. The reconstruction of the Subotica synagogue began in January 2013 co-financed by the EU under the INTERREG IPA CBC Hungary-Serbia. The project “Gems at the turn of the centuries – journey to the miraculous world of Art Nouveau – DIAMOND” included, in addition to the renovation of two synagogue facades, partial reconstruction of the Count’s Palace in Szeged. The total value of the project was EUR 344,787. The EU co-financing for the restoration of the synagogue was EUR 100,000, whereas the restoration of the interior was funded by the Hungarian Government in the amount of EUR 1.6 million.
