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Bojana Lalatovic

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YEA of the Month January 2022

Bojana Lalatovic has been a true shining star of YEA network since the very beginning. She and her team ‘broke the ice’ for implementing the first in a row of five online events by YEAs back in 2021 by addressing an important topic of “Building resilience by investing in skills and qualifications”. As an activist, game-changer and dedicated youth worker, Bojana continues to send a message that the educated, skilled and active young people really do have a strong potential to lead the Western Balkans region into a bright future. Furthermore, Bojana holds an MA in Law in European Integration from the University of Belgrade, where she is also a PhD candidate in the International Public Law Department. She worked for civil society organizations focusing on the EU integration processes of the Western Balkans and was a participant in the ERASMUS+ mobility programme. Apart from being a Young European Ambassador, she is also a Program Officer in the RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro (Regional Youth Cooperation Office).

The era of cyber-farming in Serbia

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An EU co-funded project supports Serbian scientists pioneering the digital transformation of agriculture. Serbian farmers now have a new best friend, called Lala. Lala has the ability to collect data and immediately analyse the chemical properties of any soil sample, and then to archive it for farmers to use. Lala is a robot or, as its inventors at the BioSense Institute in Serbia like to call it, an Agrobot. Professor Vesna Bengin from the institute explains that one of the best ways to optimise agricultural production is to give each plant or part of a plot of land the exact amount of nutrition needed. “The starting point for this is observation of differences that exist in the soil in different parts of a plot, and this is where our robotic platform – Agrobot Lala – steps in, providing accurate and precise information,” she says. Adapted for agricultural applications and equipped with a system for sampling and analysing the soil, Lala moves along a predefined path within a plot, samples the soil, immediately analyses it, and records georeferenced measurement results. As a result, Lala delivers a multi-layered map on which farmers can base decisions regarding sowing, watering, and the application of fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides in order to optimise production. “We are glad to be a part of the agricultural revolution and to see robots, drones and young people with laptops in Serbian fields”, says Professor Bengin.

 “As an engineer, I believed that science had to respond to the needs of society and improve the quality of people’s lives, and I reflected a lot on how to steer our research towards that goal.”  

Founded in 2015, the BioSense Research and Development Institute for IT in biosystems is a pioneer in the digital transformation of agriculture in Serbia. Professor Bengin is the co-founder of the institute. She explains that as a child, she had heard many times that the land in Vojvodina, the northern region of Serbia, is so fertile that it could feed all Europe. But she also saw that this was not the case. Likewise, as an adult it seemed absurd to her to engage in very complex scientific research where results stay in the pages of scientific journals or books. “As an engineer, I believed that science had to respond to the needs of society and improve the quality of people’s lives, and I reflected a lot on how to steer our research towards that goal,” says Professor Bengin. This led to the idea of a scientific institute as a knowledge base that farmers, businesses, and policymakers could turn to in order to solve problems in the field. Professor Bengin explains that there were administrative, financial, and interpersonal challenges on the way to achieving this – and that her ambitions would probably have been short-lived if it were not for the EU’s funding of science, first through the FP7 programme and later through Horizon 2020. “Project by project, as if it were brick by brick, we built a path that has led us to being recognised today as a global leader in the digital transformation of agriculture,” says Professor Bengin.

“Before ANTARES, we were only able to dream – to dream about building a serious scientific research centre in Serbia, similar to those we saw abroad; we dreamed about retaining our best students instead of watching them leave the country. We had a vision of farmers being able to live by their work with dignity. ANTARES helped us turn these dreams into a reality.”

About the project With a budget of almost €30 million, ANTARES is the largest research project ever funded by the European Union in the Republic of Serbia. The project is supported by the participation of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development who provide both institutional and legislative support, as well co-financing of €14 million. ANTARES is co-funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. Professor Bengin is the coordinator of the EU-funded Horizon 2020 ANTARES project which supports the BioSense Institute in evolving into a market-oriented European centre of research excellence. “Before ANTARES, we were only able to dream – to dream about building a serious scientific research centre in Serbia, similar to those we saw abroad; we dreamed about retaining our best students instead of watching them leave the country. We had a vision of farmers being able to live by their work with dignity. ANTARES helped us turn these dreams into a reality,” says Professor Bengin. Today, BioSense has a team of about 140 electrical engineers, programmers, biochemists, physicists, biologists, and agronomists. Employment decisions are made solely based on excellence and half of the team are women. Professor Bengin explains that women are necessary to science. “They approach solving any scientific challenge in a specific manner, complementary to that of their male colleagues. As an electrical engineer, I really don’t believe that there are male and female professions”. She urges, “I sincerely believe that girls should listen to themselves, follow their desires and interests, and create new patterns of behaviour, in which they will not follow male role models but create their own authentic success stories”.

Nine RHP beneficiaries receive keys to new apartments in BiH

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In January, nine beneficiary families moved into new Regional Housing Programme (RHP) apartments in the municipality of Sapna in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although no public ceremony could take place to commemorate the occasion due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the significance of the moment was certainly not lost on all those concerned.

 

One of the RHP beneficiaries to receive keys from the municipality, Sandra Pranjić, is a single mother of a five-year-old boy. After the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Sandra and her brother moved from the City of Tuzla, in the north-eastern part of Bosnia, to Sapna. The siblings lived in a derelict and damp house for which they still had to pay rent, and Sandra had no other choice but to work in the fields while her brother worked in construction. She says that she accepts any work that she can get in order to feed her family, and she stays optimistic. “Even though some of my neighbours told me that I had little chance of getting an apartment, I still decided to take a chance and apply,” she says.

 

The construction of the apartments was funded by the RHP whose largest donor is the European Union, with other key donors being Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United States of America.

RYCO and EU celebrate successes of projects in Serbia

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The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) organised a final event for its EU-supported initiative on “Enhancing Youth Cooperation and Youth Exchange in the WB6” in Belgrade on 7 February. The event presented the results of four projects from Serbia supported within RYCO’s fourth open call for project proposals. It was attended by representatives of RYCO and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, RYCO beneficiaries, and local partners.
 
The EU Delegation to Serbia’s Head of Information, Communication and Press, Paul-Henri Presset, congratulated RYCO and its beneficiaries for contributing to the increase of youth participation in decision-making processes throughout the Western Balkans. He emphasised how significant youth is on the EU’s agenda since 2022 is the European Year of Youth. “The COVID-19 pandemic limited many opportunities for young people. It is therefore important to mark this year for youth, to fix the situation caused by the pandemic crisis and create other opportunities for young people with RYCO and through other EU programmes,” he concluded. 
 
The projects supported by RYCO and the EU within the fourth RYCO open call across the Western Balkans fostered reconciliation and regional youth cooperation, as well as strengthening civil society capacity to adapt to the COVID-19 environment. They were implemented from February to October 2021. Almost 130 applications were received, creating 400 partnerships from the region. The overall financial envelope for the call was €333,000.

EU launches campaign on support to Albania’s agricultural sector

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A new campaign aims to inform Albanians about the EU’s financial assistance to agriculture – which amounts to a total of €100 million every year. It has a special focus on support to youth, farmers, agri-business and entrepreneurs benefiting from the IPARD – the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance for Rural Development – programme.

 

At the launch ceremony, the EU Ambassador to Albania, Luigi Soreca, said: “Agriculture is a key area of support for the EU in Albania. The reasons are clear. Not only does agriculture have a special part in the history and identity of Albania, but almost 40% percent of the Albanian population live in rural areas, and almost half of the Albanian workforce works in agriculture and connected sectors. Recognising the importance of this sector, in just the last 5 years the EU has made available over €70 million to support rural economy, agribusiness, food safety, veterinary and fisheries. The size of this investment qualifies the EU as by far the biggest supporter of the Albanian agro-food sector.”

 

EU support to agriculture and rural development in Albania is delivered mainly through the IPARD programme implemented on behalf of the EU by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and its structures. Support primarily takes the form of direct grants.  Since 2018, more than 400 farmers and agribusinesses in Albania have been awarded EU grants under IPARD with a combined value of €50 million.

€853 million of EIB investments in the Western Balkans in 2021

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In 2021, the European Investment Bank Group (EIB), the European Union’s bank, invested €853 million across the Western Balkans for sustainable development, the green transition, digitalisation and support for small businesses. In 2021, the EIB provided €560 million for small and medium-sized companies in the region to help maintain liquidity, continue with investments, retain jobs and create new employment opportunities. These funds were available under affordable, long-term and flexible conditions as part of the Team Europe financial package for a faster COVID-19 recovery for the region.

 

As the EU climate bank, the EIB also scaled up its technical and financial support to focus on the preparation and implementation of climate and sustainable projects, in line with the EU Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. In 2021, it unlocked a total of €257 million for environmental protection, more secure and efficient energy networks, sustainable transport and the introduction of climate-friendly projects among small companies.

 

With €200 million invested in digital projects in the region since 2020, the EIB has enabled smart, resilient and inclusive growth. EIB investments address the region’s digital gap and allow upgrades to the existing 4G network and introduction of the 5G network, as well as digitalisation of over 1,500 schools and the development of digital skills.

 

The European Investment Bank is the European Union’s long-term lending institution, owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

Treasured artefacts now on display in a treasured building

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An EU-funded project has helped turn an Ottoman palace into a culture resource for residents and visitors alike in the area between Kosovo and North Macedonia. A wedding chest that’s over two hundred years old, traditional costume, shoemakers’ and silversmiths’ tools, and other historical artefacts can now be seen by visitors at the ethnological museum in Gjilan/ Gnjilane, in eastern Kosovo. They are housed in a building known to locals as Hysen Pasha Palace as it was built by Hysen Pasha Milla, one of the leading Ottoman administrators of the region. It was constructed in 1887 and for several decades was used as a family home, until being confiscated by the Yugoslav government after the Second World War and used for over seven decades as a school. Today it is one of the finest pieces of Ottoman-era architecture in Kosovo. In particular, its carved wooden ceilings make it a unique place to visit but until recently the building’s use as a music school meant visitors had limited access to it. This changed with an initiative from Gjilan/ Gnjilane municipality with EU support.

 “Because we did not have a dedicated space, we had to display our archaeological and ethnological artefacts in the national museum in the capital.”

A new museum building for cultural heritage The city of Gjilan/ Gnjilane and its surrounding area are rich in archaeological and ethnological artefacts, but until five years ago there was no dedicated space for these to be exhibited. “Because we did not have a dedicated space, we had to display our archaeological and ethnological artefacts in the national museum in the capital,” says GjylshenDoko Berisha, the head of the museums in Gjilan/ Gnjilane. This situation changed in 2016 with the opening of the archaeological museum and then improved further with the opening of the ethnological museum, which benefitted from EU support. Djellza Ademi was the coordinator of the EU-funded cross-border cooperation (CBC) project focusing on the enhancement of cultural and natural heritage values that enabled the renovation of the building and opening of the ethnological museum. She explains that the municipality of Gjilan/ Gnjilane has a large number of visitors during the year, particularly those from the diaspora who visit the city regularly once or twice a year. “Despite this rich cultural and natural heritage, we had very little to offer visitors,” says Djellza. On the initiative of the municipality and in cooperation with the municipality of Kumanovo on the other side of the border, in North Macedonia, it was decided to create a better tourist attraction. The Kosovo -North Macedonia CBC call was a perfect match for this type of initiative as both municipalities lacked funding and expertise.

 “The municipality of Gjilan has benefited from a number of EU-funded projects in past years and, as with this one, without EU support it would be very difficult to implement these activities.”

About the project The aim of the EU-funded cross-border cooperation project “Enhancement of cultural and natural heritage values” was to bring investments and promote the cross-border area as a tourism destination, to enhance cultural and natural heritage values through the conservation and restoration of an old building, and to establish traditional cultural events in the cross-border area. The project results include the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage sites, construction of locations for sports and increased promotion of cultural heritage. The total value of the project was over €477,000 and it was completed in 20 months. With the support of the EU, the two project partner municipalities managed to restore the old building and adapt it to be used as the Ethnographic Museum, to construct an amphitheatre, and to create space for football, basketball and tennis in Kumanovo. In addition to infrastructure upgrades, the project partners launched an online platform with all the information related to tourism and culture in the cross-border area. They also organised folk festivals and networking events with tourism operators and service providers, and other activities for promoting the cross-border region as a tourist destination. “The municipality of Gjilan has benefitted from a number of EU-funded projects in past years and, as with this one, without EU support it would be very difficult to implement these activities,” says Djellza Ademi.

“Connections” art exhibition at Europe House Kosovo

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In the presence of many art lovers, Europe House in North Mitrovica, Kosovo, launched an exhibition titled “Connections” by Katarina Nedeljković. The exhibition, which is Katarina’s first, includes her abstract art works in sculpture, drawing, and graphics.

 

According to Katarina, the theme “Connections” emerged spontaneously. “It is extremely important for us to know what connections we want to have with nature, God, ourselves, family, friends, and others. I created my abstract works based on this, trying to show the most important connections for me” she says.

 

The “Connections” exhibition can be visited at Europe House in North Mitrovica every working day from 9.00 to 18.00.

€500,000 EIB grant to ensure sustainable urban mobility in Niš, Serbia

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The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the lending arm of the EU – has signed a cooperation agreement with the City of Niš in Serbia to finance the preparation of a sustainable urban mobility plan, enabling the city to make informed investment decisions concerning its transport network. By taking into account existing travel patterns, development trends and the municipality’s strategic planning objectives, the sustainable urban mobility plan will help ensure that investments are optimised to provide efficient, safe, convenient and less carbon-reliant mobility. Technical assistance will enable the City of Niš to explore opportunities created by the future removal of freight traffic from the existing inter-urban railway corridor crossing the city.

 

The sustainable urban mobility plan and the investments it will generate will help Niš to grow, supported by a high-quality, well-integrated transport network, thus enhancing the appeal of the city as a place to live and invest in. Technical assistance is being provided under Team Europe and the joint Urban Projects Finance Initiative between the EIB and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), launched to support ambitious urban development projects.

Education for all in Kosovo

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EU project for inclusive education in Kosovo offers support to children with special needs and from vulnerable communities. Arti is a 12-year-old boy who is stubborn about his independence. He lives with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder usually associated with learning difficulties. It is only during his lifetime that Kosovan law has changed so that children with Down Syndrome and other children with special needs can attend mainstream schools. Students like Arti are now learning in a new era. It can be challenging to include children with special needs in mainstream schools without a teaching assistant in class. As the school could not provide one, in Arti’s case the role of teaching assistant was taken over by his mother. This lasted for some years until the EU-funded Education for All project stepped in to provide a teaching assistant for Arti and other children with special needs at his school. “With the help of the dedicated teaching assistant, Arti has managed to be completely independent from me and to develop his skills by fulfilling most of the objectives on his individual learning plan,” says Arti’s mother, Florentina.

 “Children with special needs face different challenges: some of them may have difficulties with reading, some with maths or with other subjects. We therefore devise and implement an individual learning plan for each child with special needs.”

Arti is assisted in his day-to-day school activities by Xhenneta Shabani, a graduate from the pedagogical faculty who joined the project team as an intern. As soon as she began work, she got together with the class teacher to devise an individual learning plan for Arti and started on its implementation. “Children with special needs face different challenges: some of them may have difficulties with reading, some with maths or with other subjects. We therefore devise and implement an individual learning plan for each child with special needs,” says Xhenneta. Xhenneta helps Arti during class and is present all the time in the classroom along with the regular teacher. As well as working with Arti, she also supports other children. Her long-term professional plan is to work as a school counsellor, so the experience that she gained in this project is extremely valuable. “Perhaps the best part of my engagement in this project is that when I start working as a school counsellor, I will be able to transfer all the knowledge from this project to the school that I am working in so also other teachers and children can benefit,” she says. The Education for All project is being implemented by the Czech non-governmental organisation (NGO) People in Need and partners from Kosovo. Njomza Emini from People in Need explains how essential the project is for children with special needs in Kosovo. “We had cases where schools were reluctant to admit children with special needs, as they need dedicated attention and schools lack the support staff. Even if they had time for them, the existing teachers lack specific training on addressing the needs of these children,” says Njomza. Her project therefore runs a programme engaging 42 interns supporting 250 children like Arti who have special needs or are from vulnerable communities. The project also offers training to regular teachers on inclusive education of children with special needs. So far, the project has trained over 150 teachers and they are planning to train up to 225 by the end of the project. The training has included topics such as the principles of inclusion, communication with children with special needs, and identifying and managing cases of bullying. “The training was very much welcomed by the schools’ managers and the teachers who participated,” says Njomza.

“There are considerable gaps in inclusive education in Kosovo, and until our institutions manage to fill these gaps, the support from the EU and other donors is very important.”

About the project The EU-funded Education for All project was launched in 2018 and focuses on the right to equal education for children and adolescents with special needs and those such as the Roma coming from vulnerable communities. Funded under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the project is implemented by the Czech NGO, People in Need, in partnership with Kosovan NGOs Autizmi Flet and The Ideas Partnership. In devising the teacher training, the project benefited from the experience of the “Varianty” education department at People in Need in the Czech Republic and their use of the guidelines of the European Agency for Inclusive Education. “There are considerable gaps in inclusive education in Kosovo, and until our institutions manage to fill these gaps, the support from the EU and other donors is very important,” says Njomza. The project has another component focused on the improvement of inclusive education at an institutional level. Inclusive education platforms have been set up in each project location including local stakeholders such as the municipality, human rights organisations, and parents. The inclusive education platform in the town of Janjeva/ Janjevo, has managed to secure the sustainability of the internship programme by including it in the municipal budget even after the completion of the project. In Obiliq/ć they managed to renovate the dedicated classroom for children with special needs with the support of the municipality.