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Author: WeBalkans

EU starts accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia

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The European Union’s 27 members have agreed to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. The decision came following the ‘historic’ vote in North Macedonia’s parliament at the weekend, which opened the way to the start to accession talks for both North Macedonia and Albania.

 

Today, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen issued a Press statement to mark the start of the accession negotiations process and of the screening of the EU acquis. Through this press statement, she addressed the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovachevski.

 

On her address to the Prime Minister Kovachevski President von der Leyen stated as follows: “What a historic moment. Today, Albania and North Macedonia are opening the accession negotiations to the European Union, and I am so glad to be here with you. This is your success. It is your success and your citizens’ success. You and your citizens, you and your people have been working so hard to get here. You have shown so much enduring commitment to our values. You have demonstrated resilience. You maintained faith in the accession process. You strengthened the rule of law. You fought against corruption. You have free media. You have vibrant civil societies. You have done countless reforms and you have modernised your economies. You have made all these changes not just because they were necessary on your path towards the European Union, but above all because they are good for your countries. And they are already delivering a better quality of life for your people. We, the European Commission, have supported you all the way. And we will continue to do so. “

 

On her address to the Prime Minister Edi Rama President von der Leyen stated as follows: “Let me address you personally: You have shown so much leadership, so much vision. You have shown strategic patience, Edi, in abundance. And not only but importantly in these challenging times of Russia’s brutal war, you have proven time and again your attachment to European values, as true friends and true partners. And I want to personally thank you for that.”

 

On her address to the Prime Minister Petr Fiala President von der Leyen stated as follows: “Congratulations. Congratulations because the start of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia is a major deliverable right at the beginning of your Czech Presidency. It is building on the work of previous Presidencies. And I know that you will now play an important role to make sure that this process advances swiftly. The people of Albania and North Macedonia deserve it. And we will all stand to gain when one day we welcome Albania and North Macedonia as full-fledged members of our European Union.”

 

Albania and North Macedonia’s leaders are meeting today Prime Minister Fiala in Brussels to discuss the next steps on their path to the EU.

Western Balkans Youth Orchestra Summer Tour 2022

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On Thursday, 14 July, rehearsals have started for 30 young musicians from Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. They have gathered in Pristina for eight intensive days of preparation under the baton of conductor and pianist Desar Sulejmani, after which they will go on a Balkans concert tour, followed one month later by a concert tour in Germany.

 

The inaugural concert of the Western Balkan Youth Orchestra will take place in Pristina on Thursday, 21 July at the Bogdani Polis hall. The concert will start at 20:30, and on the menu are works by Chopin, Grieg, Tansman, Shostakovich, as well as a world premiere by Albanian composer Gerti Druga.

 

The Western Balkans Youth Orchestra (www.wbyo.org) is an initiative of Artium Eudora, a Pristina-based NGO that is promoting the arts as a tool for individual and social progress. The orchestra went on tour for the first time in October 2021, and in May 2022 it played at the occasion of the Europe Day in Novi Sad.

 

After the Pristina concert, the orchestra will continue its tour in Skopje, (22 July), Novi Sad (24 July), Mostar (26 July) and Kotor (28 July). In August, the young musicians will perform for the German audience with concerts in Berlin, Kassel, Königswinter, Aachen and Essen.

 

The 2022 WBYO tour has been made possible with the support of the EU Directorate-General for Enlargement and Neighbourhood, EU in Kosovo and North Macedonia, several Rotary Clubs of the Aachen region, the Engagement Global, the Foreign Ministries of Germany and Luxembourg, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kosovo, as well as the Austrian Cultural Forum in Serbia.

YEA at EXIT Festival in Novi Sad

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This July Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) gathered in Novi Sad, Serbia, to join the EXIT Festival. YEAs organised four different activities over the four days of the festival, and also had the chance to meet their peers from civil society.

 

On the first day, YEAs talked to visitors about the key topics that youth advocate for: environmental activities; cultural cooperation; associations with the EU; EU educational programmes and experiences; improving the treatment of vulnerable groups in local communities; and presented the YEA network. The second day was reserved for a “living library” where YEAs interacted with other young people by sharing their stories about Western Balkan culture, tourist sites, famous people, and their personal experiences.

 

On the third day of the Festival, YEAs organised a discussion on the main stage of the OPENS state of mind zone with topics of LGBTQ+ issues, inclusion, and youth participation and facilities. The speakers were Anja Jokić and Maša Vračar from the National Youth Council of Serbia, Nemanja Obradović from OPENS, and YEAs Anja Kafedziska (Serbia), Enes Pućurica (Montenegro) and Stjuart Islamaj (Albania), and the discussion was moderated by Filip Lukic from the EU Delegation to Serbia.

 

On the last day, YEAs and visitors painted a LGBTQ+ flag, leaving messages of support to the community.

Conference in Belgrade on Western Balkans and European foreign and security policy

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On 27 and 28 June the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) organised a conference titled “Moving the Western Balkans towards European foreign and security policy” supported by the EU’s Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organisations project, TACSO 3. The event marked 25 years of BCSP’s work and provided an opportunity to consolidate long-standing partnerships between BCSP and other Western Balkans think-tanks specialising in security policy within the Balkan Security Platform.

 

The conference brought together members of civil society from the region along with EU and world experts on foreign and security policy. It was attended by 76 participants in person and 17 via Zoom.

 

After the public event, members of the Balkan Security Platform continued with sessions dedicated to developing a joint advocacy plan for engaging EU audiences on foreign and security issues related to the Western Balkans and the Balkan Security Platform’s joint strategic plan for further cooperation on regional security issues.  An International Advisory Committee was formed, consisting of 16 internationally-recognised researchers, professors, representatives of the think-tank community, former officials, and experts in international relations, defence, security and the rule of law.

CONNECTA “Technical Assistance for Smart and Sustainable Mobility” workshop

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The second workshop within CONNECTA’s Technical Assistance for the Deployment of Smart and Sustainable Mobility in the Western Balkans-initiative was held in Belgrade this month.  
The event was attended by representatives of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania, the Albanian Institute of Transport, the Albanian Agency for Energy Efficiency, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of North Macedonia, the Public Enterprise for State Roads of North Macedonia, the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure of Serbia, the Public Enterprise Roads of Serbia and a representative of the Charge&GO company.  
The workshop agenda included a presentation of activities so far and an overview of practices in the region, with a review of the global situation for electric vehicles and e-charging.

Successful completion of the first cycle of the Superschools exchange scheme

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The Regional Annual School Conference took place on Tuesday 5 July in Struga, North Macedonia,  marking the successful completion of the first cycle of the Superschools programme run by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). This programme is a part of the “Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme” multi-donor project co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with RYCO.

 

This event gathered all participating schools represented by a teacher and a student in order to share their experiences, achievements, and results with young people, other teachers from the region, RYCO staff, ministry representatives, donors, and high-level officials. The event promoted the impact of exchanges and RYCO Superschools project in the region. A student fair featured as part of the event and gave the participants the chance to have in-person conversations with the schools that participated in the first cycle of the RYCO Superschools exchanges.

EU and EBRD help Serbian sports retailer to reach customers better

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One of the most successful sports clothing and equipment retailers in Serbia, Planeta Sport, which has more than 100 shops across the country, had a well-established sales network both instore and online. The company sought assistance from the EU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to improve communication with its customers by investing in new digital tools. The changes enabled by the project together with EU and EBRD funding came at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, just when most businesses needed to make a rapid shift to online working.  
The project entailed the creation of a digital strategy and the implementation of new marketing and communication software. To achieve this, Planeta Sport needed external assistance. The company then contacted the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses programme, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises by connecting them with experts who provide advice and know-how. The programme covers a wide range of areas including strategy, operations, quality management, financial reporting, energy efficiency and more. It is funded by the European Union and has already supported hundreds of businesses in Serbia.

“Protect yourself – use protective equipment” campaign begins in Serbia

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“Protect yourself – use protective equipment” is the title of a campaign launched to raise awareness about the importance of using personal protective equipment during construction work and during sports and recreational activities. The campaign is part of the “EU for Serbia – support for safer products” project which began this month with a TV campaign, branded city transport buses in Belgrade, and billboards in several Serbian cities.  
Through the “EU for Serbia – support for safer products” project, the European Union is supporting the Ministry of Economy and other ministries in harmonising the legislation of the Republic of Serbia with that of the European Union in the free movement of goods. Along with the freedom of movement of people, services, and capital, this is one of the fundamental freedoms on which the European Union is founded on. A common market is the core of European integration.  
The campaign is the second of several media promotions that will be conducted during the project, aiming to further improve the process of harmonising and implementing regulations necessary for the integration of the economy of the Republic of Serbia into the European single market.

Research shows the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups in Montenegro

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Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have worked together with an association of parents of children and youth with developmental disabilities to conduct research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They focused on children and youth with special educational needs as well as children and parents from other vulnerable groups in Montenegro. The results of this collaboration between Path parents association, the Children of Montenegro NGO from Tuzi and Impuls NGO from Nikšić were presented at Europe House in Podgorica.

 

The data from the sample of 1,055 respondents shows that the pandemic had a negative impact on the quality of learning, work habits, school experience, and teachers’ attitudes. There was developmental and academic stagnation and even regression. Insecurities appeared, accompanied by a drop in initiative, motivation, attention, and attitude towards obligations. The impact on education is reflected mostly in terms of socialisation, work habits, quality of learning, and socio-emotional status.

 

For teachers, the biggest challenge was in relation to adaptation, the organisation of life and work, and IT knowledge and competencies (especially for teachers from the north of the country). For parents, the most demanding aspect was to combine family and work obligations, thus complicating and multiplying their roles (parent-teacher-facilitator).

 

The research was conducted within the EU-funded project titled “Professional and timely provision of services after COVID.”

EU Commissioner Várhelyi visits EU-funded infrastructure project in Albania

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The EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi visited together with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, the EU-funded Vlora bypass in the south of the country.

 

The 29-kilometre road segment will shorten the traveling time towards the Albanian Riviera, increase road safety, reduce air pollution and bring new opportunities for Albanian businesses.

 

The EU has supported the construction of the Vlora bypass with €20 million. In addition, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as lead international financial institution and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have provided loans of €18 million each.

 

During the joint press conference with Prime Minister Rama, Commissioner Várhelyi said: “I am delighted to visit today the Vlora bypass. This is a fine example of our bilateral assistance to Albania, and shows how we can make a difference for the region thanks to our Economic and Investment plan.”

 

The bypass around the city of Vlora is a vital connection in south-western Albania. It will improve road transport conditions in Vlora town and in surrounding areas, including on the coastal road along the Vlora bay. This road segment will bring benefits to tourism, stimulate the private sector and facilitate trade, promote regional and national growth as well as contribute to economic and social cohesion.