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Author: WeBalkans

145 projects selected for Erasmus+ higher education capacity building funding

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The European Commission has announced the projects selected this year for Erasmus+ funding to promote capacity building in higher education. For the 2021-27 period, €613 million has been allocated for capacity building in higher education through the Erasmus+ programme. The 145 selected projects will be funded with the first annual tranche of this seven-year budget.

 

The 2023 calls will open in mid-November. Those interested in applying can get more information at the  Funding and Tenders Portal.

Together for Serbia’s energy security

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On 8 November Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović, met with the director of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Maciej Popowski. Popowski congratulated Minister Đedović on her appointment and assured her of the EU’s support for dealing with disturbances in the energy markets.

 

“The EU is committed to supporting Serbia in the long-term improvement of energy security, including reducing dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The European Commission is in the process of preparing a significant support package for the energy sector of the Western Balkans, which will include targeted budget support of €165 million for Serbia to support vulnerable households and businesses, and an additional €500 million for the region for investments in energy infrastructure,” said Popowski.

 

At the meeting, which was also attended by the EU Ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, Popowski called on the Ministry to use the European Commission’s latest report on Serbia as a guideline for further reforms, and emphasised the importance of Serbia’s proactive participation in the EU energy platform.

New edition of EU-Western Balkans Media Conference taking place on 10-11 November in Albania

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The new edition of the EU-Western Balkans Media Conference is taking place on 10-11 November 2022 in Tirana, Albania.  
The Conference is jointly organised by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, and gathers over 180 representatives from the media sector and civil society organisations from the Western Balkans, the European Union and its partners.  
Participants will discuss on the challenges that the journalists and media professionals in the Western Balkans are facing, such as media freedom, protection of journalists, media development trends, changing information-gathering patterns, and new trends in countering information manipulation and foreign interference.  
More information on the EU-Western Balkans Media Conference, as well as the full programme, are available online, including the video trailer of the event and the new factsheet on EU support to the Media Sector in the Western Balkans

Two EU-funded clinics to be constructed in 18 months in Montenegro

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At the Montenegrin Clinical Centre in Podgorica the EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Oana Cristina Popa, with Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, Health Minister Dragoslav Šćekić, and the Director of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Ljiljana Radulović, laid the foundation stone for two new EU-funded clinics worth €8.5 million.

 

Caretaker Prime Minister Abazović said “a new era is beginning for Montenegro,” describing how more investments will be made in healthcare, education, and infrastructure, while the health minister announced that the construction of the two clinics would be completed in 18 months.

 

EU Ambassador Popa said that Montenegrin citizens and health workers deserved modern hospitals and good healthcare, which is part of the EU standard of living, adding that she was happy to see EU funds helping Montenegro to achieve that goal.

 

The building in which these two clinics will be located will have a floor space of nearly 4,300 square meters. It will be equipped according to the most modern medical standards and will have significantly more room for the treatment of patients.

 

The building is expected to be completed by the spring of 2024.

New laws for greater personal autonomy of prosecutors in Serbia

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New prosecutorial laws bring more freedom but also responsibility for decision-making for prosecutors at all levels. They continue the process of decentralisation of power in public prosecution, as was explained at the annual conference of the Association of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors of Serbia.  
The conference entitled “What can we expect from the new prosecution laws?” was also attended by the deputy head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Plamena Halačeva.  
Representatives of the Association of Public Prosecutors of Serbia participated in the development of the working versions of the Law on Public Prosecution and the Law on the High Council of Prosecution which were discussed at the conference. These two laws were drafted by the Ministry of Justice’s working group and followed by public debate. Now, the proposals are awaiting the opinion of the Venice Commission.  
Responding to the proposals, Halačeva said, “Increasing the autonomy of prosecutors and greater powers of the High Council of Prosecutors are important steps not only as an adequate response to crime but also for a more effective fight against organised crime and corruption, which is in the interest of the citizens of Serbia”.

YEA participate at the Western Balkans Youth Forum

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More than 70 young people, actors, and stakeholders highly engaged in youth-related issues from the WB6 region and the EU have gathered in Berlin, to participate in the Western Balkan Youth Forum which was organised from 31 October to 3 November.  YEAs Desantila Muriqi, Klajdi Kaziu, and Stefan Vukmanovic represented the YEA Network.

 

The main topic of this year’s Youth Forum included democratization and civic education, youth, peace and security, green agenda and energy security, as well as social economy and solidarity.

 

The Western Balkans Youth Forum of the Berlin Process 2022 is organized by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office in partnership with Franco-German Youth Office and Crossborder Factory. The Forum is supported by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Regional Cooperation Council’s Western Balkan Youth Lab project, and a regional project funded by the European Union (EU) Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organisations in the Western Balkans and Turkey (TACSO).The event is designed for representatives of a wide range of relevant actors in charge of youth issues, including umbrella youth organizations of the WB6, youth structures at the EU level, institutions, NGOs, young activists, as well as experts on youth-related topics, and the topics of the Forum from the Western Balkans and the wider Europe.

“Block the hatred; Share the love”: Discussion against hate speech and discrimination towards Roma people

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On 26th October 2022, Representatives of the City of Bijeljina, its Roma community and other partners, with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe organised an activity with the aim of sending a message of condemning hate speech and discrimination towards Roma people. The activity included discussion with pedestrians and pupils about the dangers of hate speech and those of stigmatising certain segments of the society, sending the message of equality and inclusion to the Roma community.

 

Armin Poljak, Young European Ambassador for Bosnia and Herzegovina, also participated in this activity in Bijeljina which was organized under the campaign “Block the Hatred, Share the Love” organized by the Council of Europe. He pointed out that youth can definitely contribute to the social inclusion of young Roma population. He added that raising a voice makes it possible to gradually develop an environment free from discrimination, including on ethnic grounds.

 

The “Block the hatred. Share the love!” is an awareness raising initiative that aims to combat various forms of hate speech targeting specific communities and individuals in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Western Balkans. The initiative is supported by prominent public figures, institutions and activists, who are promoting diversity and equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region, through personal storytelling, testimonies and exchange of good practices.

Bringing young people closer to culture and art

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Interactive, innovative tools in an EU-funded youth work programme bring cultural institutions closer to young people in Serbia and beyond.

The Gallery of Matica srpska in Novi Sad, founded in 1847, today represents one of the richest art museums in Serbia. The permanent collection exhibits significant artworks from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and illustrates the origin and the development of Serbian art of the New Age, showing the position of national Serbian culture in a European context. Apart from the permanent exhibition, the Gallery is a place where international, monographic, thematic and other temporary displays take place. There is never a lack of visitors to the gallery, however, the number of young people among them was disappointing.

The lack of young visitors is not something specific to this gallery. The issue has been noticed in other countries of the region and beyond. In order to address this problem in a wider context, and bring cultural institutions in general closer to young people, an association of NGOs from Serbia, called NAPOR, launched the Melting Pot project with funding from the European Union. The project was implemented across three countries, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia.

“The idea of the project was to bring young people closer to cultural content in general but also to incentivise the creation of programmes for young people by cultural institutions.”

Nedeljka Ivošević is the communication manager of NAPOR. She explains that the idea of this project was based on the strategic plan of the organisation, which is to bring together institutions and youth workers and youth work methodology.  “The idea of the project was to bring young people closer to cultural content in general but also to incentivise the creation of programmes for young people by cultural institutions,” says Nedeljka

Initially the project conducted research in three countries on the needs of different youth groups related to culture. The research findings were that 60% of young people who participated in the survey said that culture is an important part of their lives, but 90% of them claimed that the institutions never consulted them when it comes to involvement in programme planning, assigning them the role of passive consumers of cultural content. As other main reasons for them not participating regularly in cultural events they stated the lack of information, the content being not attractive and the lack of cultural activities where they come from.

In order to provide good examples of connecting youth with cultural institutions, and test these good examples, the project developed and implemented six cultural programmes: two per country. The programmes involved 20 young people per country and each lasted for about four months. For example, in Serbia the Matica srpska gallery developed a programme called “Let’s play: art and free expression” that connects the paintings at the gallery with information next to the paintings such as details about other artists of the century when the painting was produced. “The purpose was for young people to feel the gallery space as something which is not just for elites,” says Nedeljka.

 

“It was a big and complex project implemented in three countries. The EU support was crucial as without the funds we would not have been able to implement the project.”

About the project

The Melting pot project started on March 2021 and ended in September 2022. The project was implemented across three countries – Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia – through partnership with NAPOR, Galerija Matice srpske, Mreža mladih Hrvatske, Pogon – Zagrebački centar za nezavisnu kulturu i mlade, Sojuz za mladinska rabota Skopje and Opstinska ustanova Muzej na grad Negotino. The project was funded by the Tempus Foundation through the ERASMUS + programme of the European Union.

The project also developed an education curriculum for the application of non-formal approaches with the aim of increasing the capacities of youth workers and cultural workers to understand the approaches and principles that support young peoples’ personal and social development. Their booklet, “Melting pot of innovation in youth work and cultural institutions” contains an overview of youth work and culture in North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and other EU countries. The booklet provides examples of innovative and creative digital youth work and lists more than 50 digital platforms, tools and approaches.

Over 600 young people were involved directly and indirectly in the project activities. Nedeljka considers that the project had an important impact and that the EU support was essential. “It was a big and complex project implemented in three countries. The EU support was crucial as without the funds we would not have been able to implement the project,” she says.

READing throughout the Western Balkans

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An EU-funded project promotes reading habits and skills, and cultural cooperation.

One of the first things the former Goethe institute director for North Macedonia, Tanja Krüger, noticed when she took office was the lack of reading habits among young people in the country. She therefore decided that during her mission she and her team should prioritise increasing reading habits amongst young people, in particular in rural and remote areas of the country. The Goethe institute already had projects being implemented on this topic in North Macedonia, but there was a need for more to be done, remembers Marija Chorbeva Penovska from the Institute in Skopje.

An opportunity came with the call for proposals for cultural activities from the Civil Society Facility and Media Programme of the European Union. With their support, the Goethe Institute – along with partners from other countries in the region – launched the Regional Network for Cultural Diversity (READ) project which aims to promote intercultural reading skills and democratic values through reading culture and the handling of supra-regional high-quality literary works.

“The focus of our visits were hard-to-reach communities: places where kids had never had a chance before to participate in a cultural event.”

Marija Chorbeva Penovska is the manager of the READ project. She explains that the project includes four different programmes, one of them being “READ on wheels” which is a regional mobile library stocked with books and other content from the project partner countries. The library is touring through the region and Turkey with a special focus on schools and libraries, over a period of three years. The mobile library in a van with accompanying crew has already toured North Macedonia and Serbia, visiting mainly remote villages where they organised storytelling, creative writing illustration workshops, presentation of new writers, lectures and debates, book rental and book donations and similar cultural events with children and young people. “The focus of our visits were hard-to-reach communities: places where kids had never had a chance before to participate in a cultural event,” says Marija.

Another project component is support to literature festivals in the five target countries, which is a key vehicle for promoting cross-cultural cooperation in the region. The project also includes a residency programme which, through open calls, provides authors in the five countries with an opportunity to get to know the literary, artistic and cultural scene in the region and to support the regional diffusion of literary work from the target countries. At the same time, the local audience is given a unique opportunity to be introduced to the work of the selected artists.

The fourth project component is civil society capacity support, through a sub-granting scheme providing support to smaller organisations in the area of translation, publication, and/or promotion of works in order to increase access and awareness of literature beyond the national context. The component includes innovative multilingual and intercultural projects.

Marina Terpovska Stargo, the grants coordinator of the project, explains that they have so far provided grant support for 54 organisations through two calls for proposals. In total, 90 organisations are expected to be supported through the project’s grants.

“I believe that by building this big network of cultural workers and CSOs working in the cultural sector, we will ensure the sustainability of the project.”

About the project

The Regional Network for Cultural Diversity (READ) is a four-year EU-funded regional cultural project implemented by the Goethe Institute in Skopje together with the partner organisations: the Centre for Balkan Cooperation – Loja (North Macedonia), Instituti I Librit dhe i Promocionit (Albania), Kalem Culture Association (Turkey), Krokodil (Serbia), and Qendra Multimedia (Kosovo). The project contributes to reconciliation and intercultural tolerance by opening new channels of communication between independent cultural societies, offering them networking opportunities away from the political stage. The project aims to promote intercultural reading skills and democratic values through reading culture and the handling of supra-regional high-quality literary works.

Marija Chorbeva Penovska says that they are very satisfied with the results of the project so far, and in particular with the performance of the sub-grants. “At the beginning we were sceptical about the outcome of these small projects as the financial amount of the grants was symbolic. However, each small project turned into a success story thanks to efforts of these smaller organisations,” says Marija.

However, Marija believes that the most important success of the project is the facilitation of cooperation among cultural organisations and young people in the region “I believe that by building this big network of cultural workers and CSOs working in the cultural sector, we will ensure the sustainability of the project,” she says.

Berlin Process Summit: EU announces €1 billion energy support package for the Western Balkans and welcomes new agreements to strengthen the Common Regional Market

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Today, President Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative Josep Borrell participated in the Western Balkans Summit in the context of the Berlin Process. During the Summit and as advanced during her mission in the region last week, the President announced a substantial energy support package of €1 billion in EU grants to help the Western Balkans addressing the immediate consequences of the energy crisis and build resilience in the short and medium term.  
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The EU continues to stand behind the Western Balkans – both in good times and in hardship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we mobilised an unparalleled €3.3 billion package for the region and today we are putting together a €1 billion energy support package to protect the most vulnerable groups and boost much needed investments in energy diversification. We are investing in the economic fabric of the region to advance in the clean energy transition and come out greener, stronger and more sustainable from the current crisis.”  
In the immediate term, the Commission is ready to provide €500 million budget support, which will be adopted in December and available in January. This amount will support households and small and medium sized enterprises to cushion against energy price increases and their impact.  
Over the short- and medium term, the Commission will provide another €500 million to advance in energy diversification, renewable energy generation and gas and electricity interconnections through the Western Balkans Investment Framework. Short-term measures (next 1-2 years) will support diversification of energy supplies, by boosting gas and electricity interconnectors including LNG as well as by supporting the construction of renewable energy projects and the energy efficiency measures.  The medium-term assistance (next 2-3 years) will include other investments contributing to the energy transition and security. These measures will cover large-scale renewable energy generation projects, upgrade of energy transmission systems, district heating and schemes for energy efficiency for the old blocks-of-flats.  
The Summit also focused on the progress achieved by the region under the Common Regional Market; the regional initiative agreed upon by the Western Balkans leaders in Sofia in 2020 bringing together the six economies, as well as on the implementation of the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) launched in October 2020.  
The European Union welcomed the breakthrough in the negotiations of three new Common Regional Market agreements facilitating freedom of movement and employment across the region. The agreements concern ID travel within the region, recognition of academic qualifications and recognition of qualifications for certain professions. It will substantially improve mobility and cooperation within the region.  
The region also endorsed a declaration on energy securitycooperation, in which the leaders committed to redoubling their effort to implement the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans aligned with the EU’s Green Deal. This cooperation will contribute to greater energy diversification and cleaner energy, as well as to speed up reforms on their national energy markets to align with the EU.