European funds arrive to West Bačka

Sombor –The representatives of the Office for European Affairs of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Igor Bajić and Nenad Djuretić have visited Sombor, one of the most successful municipalities which has implemented significant projects over the past three years through donations from European funds and Capital Investment Fund of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, within the “Tour of Office for European Affairs”. Igor Bajić emphasized that the main objective of the visit to Sombor was to promote European ideas and EU IPA funds. Sombor succeeded in getting a bit more than one third of the funds (€250,000) for CBC projects with the Republic of Hungary, for which the EU allocated €840,000, which makes the town one of the most successful and most qualified local self-governments in terms of project writing and implementation. ”That experience will be valuable to you in the following period when new European funds open. Agriculture and human resource development projects will be financed, and 30 percent of the European budget will be allocated for regional development projects. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and our decisions will determine whether we will become one of the most developed regions in Europe in the near future”, emphasized Igor Bajić. Sombor started with a complete reconstruction of the main town street “Kralja Petra Prvog” and additional infrastructure work was planned in the town and in villages with the funds from the provincial Capital Investments Fund, in the amount of almost 800 million Dinars. “The funds Sombor municipality has received from the Fund are significant and respectable as an introductory story for the continuation of expansive municipal development by means of which you may start a regional match with other neighbouring municipalities, from which we may all benefit”, said Nenad Djuretić, representative of the Capital Investment Fund of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and a member of the Council of the Office for European Affairs. During the meeting at the municipality, the representatives of the “Tour of the Office for European Affairs” pointed out to their hosts, Municipal Vice-president, Radislav Jelačić and Chief of Cabinet of the Municipal President, Milan Stepanović, that it was most advisable for their municipality to be informed about calls for proposals to apply for funds, especially those related to cross-border cooperation, since for the first time, the provincial budget for 2008 foresaw the financing of projects which would initiate regional cooperation of the whole Bačka and Srem with the Republic of Croatia. After the meeting with the hosts at the local self-government, the “Tour of the Office for European Affairs” visited the Secondary Technical School, Secondary School of Economics and Faculty of Education in Sombor, where a new student dormitory was being built, with the funds received from the provincial Capital Investment Fund.