Statement by the Office for European Affairs

Novi Sad, 14 December – “It is not important where you come from, but where you go to”, said Predrag Novikov, Director of the Office for European Affairs, presenting the project within which the Office for European Affairs provides training in the use of IPA Funds and transfer of experience in regional cooperation for local self-governments. “Vojvodina is the leader in these issues, however, it also wants to share its knowledge with other parts of the country. It is important to realize what advantages the regionalization of the country offers”, concluded Novikov. The participants today were from the following municipalities: Šabac, Rača, Despotovac, Lebane, Paraćin, who expressed special interest in seizing all the opportunities the European Union offers, whereas, in their opinion, the major challenge was the lack of administration capacity and the non-existence of regions in Serbia proper.

In addition to the presentation on CBC programs and IPA Funds by Andrija Aleksić, Office for European Affairs, Snežana Repac, Assistant to the Director of the Vojvodina Development Fund, and Goran Vasić, Director of the Guarantee Fund, also described their experiences.