The EU-supported Serbian film Impure Blood – Sin of Ancestors will be available on the Netflix platform from this month. This is considered a huge recognition for Serbian cinematography and it opens up opportunities for its visibility at a global level. The news that the film will be shown on Netflix has aroused great interest from both experts and the general public in Serbia.
The creation of the film was supported by the Creative Europe programme for the development of film art. The production company received €160,000 in European funds as financial support for the development and realisation of four projects, including this film. As part of their commitment to promoting Serbian cultural heritage, the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia also supported the film’s promotional campaign.
“It is a great source of pride that the first Serbian movie available on Netflix has been supported by the European Union. The EU is a strong promoter of culture and cultural diversity, and we want to make Serbian culture more present and recognised across Europe and the world.
“From 2014 to 2020, 141 Serbian artists and creative industries benefited from grants from the EU programme Creative Europe, and I am very glad that Serbia has recently become part of the new seven-year cycle of the EU programme,” said Emanuele Giaufret, EU Ambassador to Serbia.
The European Commission has adopted Creative Europe‘s 2022 work programme, meaning that the relevant calls for proposals can now be launched. With a budget of around €385 million, nearly €100 million more than in 2021, Creative Europe is strengthening its support to creative and cultural partners, taking due account of the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis and growing global competition.
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said “The cultural and creative sectors are the soul of European society and we know how resilient the creative and cultural sectors have been in these past two years. In 2022, Creative Europe will benefit from its biggest budget ever. The EU stands by their side to support their recovery, their creative process and their innovation potential. We invite artists, creators and culture professionals to explore and benefit from the many funding opportunities provided by Creative Europe.”
The culture strand of the programme will include new calls and initiatives for the music, cultural heritage, performing arts and literature sectors, the MEDIA strand focuses on audio-visual and several innovations introduced in 2022, and the cross-sectoral strand will increase funding for the Creative Innovation Lab for joint-innovation projects involving several creative sectors, contributing also to the New European Bauhaus. It will also widen support to the news media through additional measures to nurture media freedom.
The cultural and creative sectors are encouraged to use CulturEU, the recently launched online guide to all EU funding available to them. The interactive website gathers a total of 75 funding opportunities from 21 different EU programmes, from Creative Europe and Horizon Europe to structural funds and InvestEU.
The EU supports outdoor adventure through the physical and digital marking of mountain routes.
The mountainous region of Peja/ Peć in western Kosovo is focused on transcending mass tourism by offering personalised experiences that blend local traditions with the rugged terrain. The region’s potential for tourism was identified years ago with investments taking place both in infrastructure and in human capital. Now there are visitors here who spend their time trekking, hiking, and biking.
Nature lovers choose to spend time in the Albanian Alps, whose name translates from local languages as the ‘Accursed Mountains’ – the mountain range shared between Kosovo, Montenegro, and Albania. A group of enthusiasts, some of whom have made this their livelihood, are proud to share their local riches with the rest of the world and are now reaping the rewards of this industry.
“This project is hands-down the most successful intervention implemented on these mountain ranges in the last 20 years.”
Where only the shepherds used to walk
The local mountaineering association, Gjeravica, found a partner in the European Union-funded cross-border project between Kosovo and Montenegro investing in marking existing and new trails for hiking and biking. “This project is hands-down the most successful intervention implemented on these mountain ranges in the last 20 years,” says Raif Gjikolli from Gjeravica. The association was involved in all stages of the project, advising on the proposed routes and marking them out. “We take pride in selecting the best routes that only the locals used to walk – such as the one from the city centre, where the altitude is at 550m, through pastures and past shepherds huts in mountain ranges at 1,800m altitude,” says Gjikolli, confirming the marking to be of international standard.
The routes go through picturesque parts of protected areas in both Kosovo and Montenegro. Outdoor enthusiasts can spend days criss-crossing borders, and intersecting with better-known regional mountain routes such as the Peaks of Balkans or the Via Dinarica.
“The markings of the trails, and the accompanying activities, are in line with the local development plans and strategies to develop tourism in the region.”
About the project
The Accursed Mountains – Exquisite Outdoor Destination project was created with the aim of strengthening the cross-border zone between Kosovo and Montenegro as an outdoor destination. A network of approximately 334 km of hiking and cycling trails has been marked and offers connections between Kosovo and Montenegro. The entire border region is equipped with rest areas, viewpoints, and bicycle parking. This EU-funded project will stimulate economic development and create new employment opportunities.
Information brought together in one place
The marked trails cross borders but they keep to the natural flow of the massifs, and they guide visitors through outstanding views of the Accursed Mountains. The implementing organisations have received positive feedback from tour guides operating in the area where hundreds of markings have been applied alongside the 334 kilometres of hiking and biking routes.
Sokol Luta from Regional Development Agency – West, the implementing partner on the Kosovan side, explains that with EU funds 25 information boards have been installed, sources of water have been identified, and signposts now point the way to panoramic views. “The markings of the trails, and the accompanying activities, are in line with the local development plans and strategies to develop tourism in the region,” says Luta.
He adds that there was great cooperation between stakeholders on both sides of the border to improve the quality of the Accursed Mountains tourism offer, increase visibility, and ultimately present the cross-border area as a single attractive outdoor destination. As an example, the implementing organisations have collected and listed in one place – both as a website and a smart-phone app – all service providers in accommodation, gastronomy, and tour services. Alongside the digitalised trail maps, visitors are given the option to choose between organised tours, or independently discover the area.
The European Union (EU) is joining the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) with a €6 million financial package to help it improve the energy efficiency of its public buildings. The package includes a €4.5 million EBRD loan and a €1 million investment grant from the EU, and will finance energy efficiency measures in 20 public buildings in Republika Srpska, including 16 schools and 3 hospitals. In addition, the EU is providing a €500,000 technical assistance grant for project implementation.
The energy measures will include thermal insulation, new windows, upgraded heating, ventilation and cooling systems, and energy efficient lighting. Once these improvements have been made, managers will be appointed to monitor the energy consumption and performance of each building.
The EU funds are secured from the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme, which is supported by the EBRD, the European Union, bilateral donors and beneficiary countries cooperating under the Western Balkans Investment Framework.
The EBRD and EU are also supporting energy efficiency improvements in public buildings of Sarajevo. The project, which includes renovating 40 public buildings, is already under way.
The city of Novi Sad, Serbia, is one of three cities in Europe to hold the title of European Capital of Culture in 2022. The other two cities are Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg, and Kaunas in Lithuania. Holding the title of European Capital of Culture gives cities the chance to boost their image, put themselves on the world map, promote sustainable tourism and rethink their development through culture.
Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, said: “During the pandemic, culture was vital in our societies. It enabled the circulation of ideas and brought our communities closer together, beyond borders. This is exactly the ambition of the European Capitals of Culture initiative, which comes back in force in 2022 with three dynamic title-holders.
Novi Sad is the first European Capital of Culture in Serbia. The year-long cultural programme of Novi Sad aims to further connect the city’s and region’s cultural community and inhabitants with the EU and reinforce their links with the rest of the Western Balkans area.
The Regional Housing Programme (RHP) handed over the keys to new apartments to 18 families in Gornji Vakuf and Domaljevac-Šamac in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Edin Ramić, Minister of Displaced Persons and Refugees in BiH, participating in the official ceremony and congratulated the families while noted with satisfaction that the flats are built according to the latest construction standard, including heating and energy efficiency ones.
The local authorities of Gorni are now in the process of removing the old houses in which the residents have lived until now in order to create green spaces and children’s playground.
The Regional Housing Programme aims to provide approximately 3 100 housing units to vulnerable refugees, displaced persons, and returnees in BiH. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than 1 800 housing units have been completed to date.
Participants from Montenegro were amongst 2021 edition winners of the European Commission’s Young European Heritage Makers under the joint action European Heritage Days. From 1 September to 10 November 2021 young Europeans from 9 participating countries, including Montenegro and North Macedonia, expressed their vision of heritage through more than 60 testimonies.
The competition invites children and high schoolers to explore their surroundings, learn about their local tangible and intangible cultural heritage and share a story of Europe. This initiative enhances young people’s understanding of the concept of heritage and its relevance for local communities.
After a first selection at national level in 2 age categories, the national winners were evaluated by a European panel of judges. Amongst 11 European winners, two projects from Montenegro were selected: Visiting Kula Redzepagica museum, in the age category 6-11 years old, and Memories Movie in the age group of 11-17 years old.
The European Heritage Days (EHD) are the most widely celebrated participatory cultural events shared by people living in Europe.
The joint campaign of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Block the Hatred. Share the Love!” focused on combating hate speech was launched in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Katalin Tamus, Head of Programmes in the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje highlighted the continuous support to public authorities in their efforts to fight hate speech and hate crimes especially for the most vulnerable communities in our society.
“This campaign aims to raise awareness about the various forms of hate speech that target specific communities and individuals in the society, as well as to promote different ways of fighting hate speech, primarily by spreading positive messages and an attitude of acceptance, and respect for diversity,” stressed Tamus.
In her remarks, Elizabeta Gjorgievska, First Lady of the Republic of North Macedonia, shared the importance of co-operation and commitment of all the actors in the fight against hate speech and hate crimes: “Every individual in the institutions, from top decision makers down to civil servants, should be equally committed to combat any form of discrimination that can generate tensions in our society,” said Gjorgievska.
Coordinator of the Young European Ambassadors from North Macedonia, Dona Srdikj Lazarevska also addressed the participants at the launch.
The “Block the Hatred. Share the Love!” campaign aims to raise awareness of the various forms of hate speech targeting specific communities and individuals in the society, and ways of combatting it. During the next months this awareness raising movement will be extended in ‘online’ through the web and social media channels, as well as through public events. The campaign will involve prominent public figures, important institutions and key human rights activists, who will promote diversity and equality in the local communities and in the region, through personal storytelling, testimonies and exchange of good practices.
EU funding is restoring the National Historical Museum mosaic damaged by the 2019 earthquake
No visit to the city of Tirana is complete without taking a picture by the grand mosaic covering the main façade of the National Historical Museum. Occupying a central role among the ensemble of important buildings circling the main square of the capital, the mosaic was conceptualised in the early 1980s and is entitled “Albania”, depicting the people who have lived in the country at different times.
The mosaic has been witness to many historical events that have taken place right in front of it on Skanderbeg Square, but what shook its very foundations was the 2019 earthquake. This was the country’s strongest earthquake of the last half-century which took many lives and caused damage across central Albania to property including 53 cultural heritage sites.
“There have been only a few interventions since it was inaugurated decades ago – for instance, a star as a symbol of Communism was removed from the mosaic.”
EU engineers contribute to recovery
In the eyes of the civil engineer Daniela Kortoçi who is working on the restoration of the mosaic, one figure stands out amongst all the people in the “Albania” mosaic: a woman holding a rifle in her hand.
“The woman wearing traditional dress stands between two men at the centre of the mosaic, representing the strong Albanian woman of the Communist era but who also has her friendly side depicted by her open left hand which reflects hospitality,” explains the young engineer hired by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) implementing the post-earthquake restoration works. The project involves combined international and local expertise, including the original creators of the work. While this restoration marks the first of its kind since it was inaugurated decades ago, there have been interventions, for instance when a star, that is a symbol of Communism, was removed from the mosaic.
Kortoçi is working with a team of experts who have listed 27 cultural heritage sites eligible for intervention as part of the largest cultural EU-funded project ever implemented in the country. EU expertise brings additional value in transferring knowledge to the new generation of local cultural heritage students. They are working shoulder-to-shoulder on damaged castle walls, old port city fortifications, museum buildings, and bridges. In an effort to preserve vanishing skills, work on castles or bridges involves traditional masonry while using local stones. The ultimate goal is to revive these selected sites to increase tourism potential, directly contributing towards Albania’s socio-economic recovery.
“For us women engineers, being in construction is a mission. We feel the urge to be a role model for that little five-year-old girl who is now drawing a house and putting a sun in the corner of the paper.”
About the project
In one of their largest cultural heritage programmes, worth €40 million, the EU is working in Albania to support the restoration of sites and monuments affected by the 2019 earthquake. The programme aims to contribute to Albania’s socio-economic recovery by rebuilding the country’s cultural heritage and restoring its potential for tourism as well as supporting local communities. The programme has become even more critical in light of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has badly affected Albania’s tourism sector.
Europe is where we want to be
Albania’s economic transformation began when democracy ended decades of Communism at the beginning of the 1990s. Kortoçi is therefore a second-generation citizen working to contribute to a country that aspires to EU membership. In addition to her professional engagement as an engineer, she has joined the Young European Ambassadors, a creative network of future game-changers from across the Western Balkans.
“I remember while growing up I listened to the call that ‘We want Albania to be like the rest of Europe’, meaning the developed EU Member States. That is why I wanted to learn more about the Union and share its values with my peers, looking forward to it as our common future,” Kortoçi says. Among those European values is the cherishing of the cultural heritage that exists in abundance in Albania.
Another important role Kortoçi sees for herself is leading by example for future generations, especially girls. Even though women make up less than 1% of workforce in the construction sector she says, “I am able to work and be recognised for my professionalism the same as men. For us women engineers, being in construction is a mission. We feel the urge to be a role model for that little five-year-old girl who is now drawing a house and putting a sun in the corner of the paper.”
Just like the woman in the mosaic who is portrayed both fighting and inviting others to join, the work to restore these monuments is not done only to preserve the past or the present, but for the future so that younger generations know where they came from.
Improved management of protected areas in Albania is reducing biodiversity loss
Shkodra Lake is the largest in the Balkan Peninsula. The lake in the north of Albania and the border with Montenegro runs through it. As a nature reserve, it is one of Europe’s richest areas for biodiversity, with abundant fish and bird species which can only be found here. The lake also plays an important role as a transit area – the so-called Adriatic Flyway – for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds.
However, for a long time this rich natural life has been at risk from man-made pollution and exploitation. There was a need for intervention and expertise to introduce best practices from the European Union which have resulted in the first Lake Shkodra Management Plan.
“With EU assistance, a new era began of the proper management of protected areas.”
Sustainable management of protected areas
The management plan was put in place by the National Agency for Protected Areas (NAPA) and implemented by the Regional Administration for Protected Areas. Age Martini, Shkodra’s Regional Administration Chief Monitor, confirms that the plan has been a game-changer in the staff’s approach to protected area and securing the desired outcomes. “The staff in our regional office now have a clear idea of the protocols to be followed within the area and how to use new equipment to produce reports on flora and fauna,” she says.
The plan began to be implemented with EU assistance that brought know-how from experienced EU Member States. Their support ranged from wildlife monitoring, training and other capacity building, to developing relationships with the communities living in the protected area, as well as providing the professional equipment that help staff get the work done. “With EU assistance, a new era began of the proper management of protected areas, as each member of staff has clear guidance while all of us know the overall objective,” says Martini, giving the example of how even the relationship with tourists now has a protocol.
Protected areas and NAPA growing together
Over recent years there have been millions of tourists registered annually across all Albania’s protected areas. This success is attributed to the management plans that NAPA has developed with EU assistance which are being implemented across the country’s protected areas. Albania is getting a reputation among tourists who are attracted by its low prices, good food and great nature.
However, the focus remains the protection of biodiversity through the monitoring mechanism tools in protected areasintroduced in line with the Natura 2000 EU standards. Now, more than 100 NAPA staff are trained to deal with wildfires and natural disasters; they know the process of collecting and processing information about wildlife systems, and above all have strategies to increase cooperation between the communities living in protected areas and the areas’ management.
“We’ve seen communities switch their position from being sceptical about our intentions to becoming supporters of the positive change it has brought to their areas.”
About the project
The NaturAl project has contributed to bringing the network of protected areas in Albania in line with the EU’s Natura 2000 network, and by embracing EU standards, Albania is making progress towards EU membership.
From 2015 to 2019, focusing on ten selected protected areas, it worked to strengthen the management of protected areas in Albania focusing on: training and capacity building of the National Agency for Protected Areas and regional agencies; wildlife monitoring; providing equipment; and strengthening community relations.
NAPA Director, Zamir Dedej, confirms that there are huge benefits to having long-term objectives that prioritise both the natural habitat and the communities living there. “We’ve seen communities switch their position from being sceptical about our intentions to becoming supporters of the positive change it has brought to their areas.” Dedej explains that communities now understand that their activity needs to be monitored, and that this contributes to reducing illegal practices such as illegal logging or hunting. Moreover, they have understood that the better the protected parks are managed, the more tourists and economic benefits there are for everyone.
Such positive developments are credited to the EU’s assistance, which came at the time when it was most needed, with NAPA having become operational only in 2016. Since then, Albania has made significant progress in expanding the network of protected areas and increasing the level of implementation of its management plans from 19% to 53%. These results have encouraged the Agency further and they are positive that the cooperation with the EU will continue with a new phase that will further reduce biodiversity loss but also prevent environmental crime and increase investments in protected areas in Albania.
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