A new Eco-Museum is launched in the city of Herceg Novi in Montenegro, and the house of Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić is the main active point of the museum. The museum was launched as part of the EU funded Co.Co.Tour project.
The Head of European Integration, Political Affairs, Media and Information Section at the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Plamena Halacheva, pointed out that the Eco-Museum exudes positive energy and that it was an honour for the EU to help revive it. “Andrić was always interested in the motif of bridges; he believed that they were an expression of the eternal human struggle to connect and unite the two opposing sides. Andrić showed that bridges bring peace, connect the past and the future, bring us together and bring prosperity. Just like Andrić, the EU is building bridges between people through our cross-border cooperation programmes. This project is a true example of that. In the spirit of Andrić, continue building bridges and connecting people of all nationalities, religions and cultures “, said Halacheva.
Eco-Museum and the house of the Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić – will soon become part of the tourist offer of Herceg Novi. Visitors will be able to see a permanent exhibition related to the life of the Nobel Laureate in Herceg Novi, but also to get acquainted with the 25 key attractions of the Eco-Museum/Community Museum through an electronic smart totem, as well as with other eco-museums in the Mediterranean network of eco-museums.
The Co.Co.Tour is funded under the EU Interreg cross border cooperation programme between Albania, Italy, and Montenegro. The objective of the project is to ensure a smart and sustainable growth of the coastal communities in the target countries through the development of a cross border eco-museum model and a common strategy focused on community tourism.
New financing by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will boost the competitiveness of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) inNorth Macedonia. The EBRD is providing a loan of up to €2.5 million toKomercijalna Banka AD Skopjefor on-lending to local businesses for investments in production facilities and compliance with EU Directives in the fields of environmental protection, workers’ safety and product quality and safety.
In addition to loans, SMEs benefit from tailor-made technical assistance and know-how for project preparation and implementation and grant incentives worth up to 15 per cent of the total loan amount on successful project completion. The technical assistance and grants are funded by theEuropean Union’s Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility(WB EDIF).
Raising competitiveness will improve companies’ opportunities not only on the local market but also internationally. At the same time, customers will benefit from improved product quality and broader choice.
The EBRD is a major institutional investor in North Macedonia. To date, it has invested €2 billion through 140 projects in the country. The Bank focuses on expanding the local private sector, the promotion of regional and international integration and the sustainable use of resources in the country.
Forum MNE opens the Call for Proposals for six grass-root civil society organisations (CSOs) in Montenegro active in youth development (including training and mentoring), digital skills, entrepreneurship, career counselling, digital content development, mentorship or other related fields. The Call aims to ensure implementation of the model using a one-stop-shop methodology of youth employment for 50 NEET youth in Montenegro in line with created curricula.
The total amount available under this Call for Proposals is €50,000. The deadline for the submission of applications is 12 April 2021.
The Call is part of the regional project “My career from zero to hero- Strengthening networks of Western Balkan CSOs to implement one-stop-shop youth employability model for future jobs of 4.0. digital revolution”, implemented in Montenegro by Forum MNE in cooperation with the Centre for Youth Work (Serbia), CEM (BiH), TOKA (Kosovo) and YSC (Albania), with financial support from the European Union and the Ministry of Public Administration in Montenegro. The action foresees creating the one-stop-shop innovative employability model (02hero) for NEET youth, providing them with skills required for future jobs of the 4.0 digital revolution.
On behalf of the EU, the European Commission has disbursed €90 million to Albania under its COVID-19 related macro-financial assistance (MFA) programme. Albania is the eighth country to receive a disbursement from the €3 billion emergency MFA package for ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners, which aims to help them limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. This disbursement will contribute to mitigating the severe negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in Albania.
This virus knows no borders: the EU stands on the side of Albania and its citizens in these difficult times. As for all MFA support programmes, the transaction follows the adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Albania, which lays down the policy conditions to be fulfilled for the disbursement of the second tranche of €90 million. These policy conditions relate in particular to improving governance or enhancing social protection. This programme is a strong and concrete demonstration of the EU’s solidarity with Albania and Albanian citizens at a time of unprecedented crisis.
The brown bear’s precious habitat extends across Montenegro and BiH. By working in a cross-border project, scientists have gained new insights into these iconic creatures.
Borko is only five years old, but he is already a celebrity in Montenegro. Last year, he was all over the Montenegrin media and is still watched 24 hours a day, like a character in a TV reality show. Borko is a bear, and he is being tracked and monitored for scientific purposes as part of the EU-funded ‘Bear in Mind’ project.
Borko was captured a year ago when the project’s team of scientists fitted him with a collar with GPS tracker and satellite transmitter before immediately releasing him. The transmitter includes a card, which sends up to seven messages a day to the control centre giving his location coordinates. In this way, the project team are able to learn more about his movements, feeding, and other habits.
“The other day he swam eight times across Piva lake, which is a huge lake. We did not know that a young bear would be capable of this.”
Jasmin Murić is the coordinator of the project. He describes the surprises they’ve had from Borko’s movements:
“The other day he swam eight times across Pliva lake, which is a huge lake: he is a great swimmer. We did not know that a young bear would be capable of this,” he says. He describes another distinctive habit of Borko’s: spending most of his time in the deep canyons of the Sushica river, perhaps sheltering from the cold winters, where the air current is weaker.
Working across borders
The number of bears in the area where Borko lives is far from the minimum viable population, and they face a number of threats from humans. This is because of what Jasmin describes as an exaggerated perception of risks of bear attacks, habitat loss from urbanisation and climate change. Fragmented trans-boundary management has also been a challenge in the past. But bears know no boundaries, and that is why it was important to partner up with organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to share experiences and develop joint plans. By working across borders to monitor bears and manage their habitat, Jasmin knows that Borko and his wider family will be better off.
With the help of data gained from Borko’s GPS tracker, Jasmin’s team is working on developing a robust ten-year management plan, which will provide a strategic approach to better conservation of this species and its environment. For example, if Borko regularly goes out of the protected area of the Durmitor National Park, they may recommend expanding the park’s territory. If they see that he goes to the villages, then they can work on measures that would raise awareness among local inhabitants to ensure that bears are not threatened by traps.
By working across borders to monitor bears and manage their habitat, I know that Borko and his wider family will be better off
“By working across borders to monitor bears and manage their habitat, I know that Borko and his wider family will be better off.”
About the project
The Bear in Mind project is implemented by the Centre for the Protection and Research of Birds from Montenegro in cooperation with partner organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is funded by the European Union within the Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020.
Building on good results
The project is not only about Borko or even the brown bear. The team is also planning to catch and tag two local species of birds – the rock partridge and black grouse. This should similarly help to give crucial insights to understand their habits and movements.
Borko is now hibernating in a den. Jasmin and his team expect him to be awake again by the end of April when they are looking forward to continuing to follow him. Jasmin explains that the information about the kind of habitat the bear uses for hibernation and the time he goes into this winter sleep and wakes up is important too. “This data can be important for us to come to some conclusions about how climate change relates to the bear’s seasonal habits.”
BIRN – the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – Kosovo, in partnership with the International Press Institute, IPI, organised a two-day training course on tackling disinformation and establishing fact-checking methods. Thirty-four journalists attended the online course, organised as part of the EU-funded project, “Solidifying the Resilience of Kosovo’s Current and Future Journalists”.
On day one, Carina Van Wyk, Head of Education and Training at Africa Check, Africa’s first independent fact-checking organisation, introduced the topic, “Dealing with the (mis)infodemic.” Van Wyk explained how false information spreads and outlined tips and tools for identifying fake news. The second day was covered by Eoghan Sweeney, an open-source investigation specialist and trainer. Over the past decade, Sweeney has helped to establish and develop digital verification and fact-checking operations at media organisations across the globe. The session covered various topics, including geo-locating content and techniques that help figure out the precise location shown in a content piece.
The overall purpose of this project is to bring together the wider community of journalists and media professionals and increase the awareness and support of the public for professional journalism, to solidify a sustainable democracy in Kosovo.
The new Erasmus programme 2021-2027 has been launched. The first annual work programme and the call for 2021 have also been published. The programme’s budget is €26.2 billion, a significant increase compared with €14.7 billion for 2014-2020. This will be complemented by about €2.2 billion from the EU’s external instruments.
With this increased budget, Erasmus+ will be more inclusive, more digital, and greener. It will also include DiscoverEU, which offers 18 year-olds the possibility to get a European rail pass to travel, learn from other cultures and meet fellow Europeans.
The European Commission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Montenegro and provided the first instalment of the support in the form of highly favourable loans worth €30 million, intended for limiting the economic fallout of the COVID-19 epidemic.
This is only part of the support available to Montenegro within of the Macro-Financial Assistance Programme worth up to €60 million. This form of support complements the previously approved €53 million, which the European Union granted to Montenegro for the procurement of urgent medical equipment and to assist socially underprivileged individuals, entrepreneurs, companies, the health sector and others that have been most seriously impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The disbursement of the second and final instalment loan support, up to the €60 million total , will be conditional on Montenegro meeting the requirements specified in the MoU, including strengthening public finance, fight against corruption, enhancing financial stability, improving the business environment, and social protection reform. The assistance programme will be available for a period of 12 months.
The Macro-Financial Assistance Programme for Montenegro is part of a €3 billion MFA package that the Commission proposed for ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help limit the economic fallout of the pandemic.
The Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia and the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers have announced the 18th edition of the Jean Monnet Media Award. This year, the award will recognise achievements in covering issues related to the theme of “EU solidarity during the pandemic: expectations and possibilities”.
The Jean Monnet Award will be given in three competition categories:
Best Journalistic News Item (for news items published in print media, broadcast media and/or web);
Best Reporter Photography (for photographs published in print media and/or web);
Best Amateur Photography.
A five-member jury committee will choose the winners. The awarding ceremony will be held on 28 April 2021.
The EU is mobilising its RescEU medical reserve to distribute 1.2 million items of personal protective equipment to North Macedonia and Montenegro to help them cope with the pandemic. The items will be delivered from the RescEU medical reserves hosted in Germany, Belgium, Greece and Romania.
The strategic medical reserve is part of the wider RescEU component, created under the umbrella of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. It includes a fleet of firefighting and medical evacuation planes, as well as a stockpile of medical equipment and field hospitals that can respond to health emergencies. The reserve is hosted by several Member States, who are responsible for procuring the equipment.
Background
Participating countries can request assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism when the scale of an emergency overwhelms the possibilities of a country to respond on its own. It can be activated for all types of natural and man-made hazards.
The Mechanism has coordinated and co-financed the delivery of over 23 million items of assistance to 31 countries to support their COVID-19 response, including personal protective equipment, ventilators, the reinforcement of medical staff, or, more recently, vaccines.
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