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Author: WeBalkans

Serbian schools prepare for the digital age

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

Schools in Serbia transition to digital education with the support of the European Investment Bank Coronavirus school and university closures have affected more than 90% of the global student population in 194 countries. Governments have had to react quickly and set up remote learning, with many adopting online learning programmes. The crisis has thus exposed the digital divide both between and within countries as well as the global need for digital transformation of education infrastructure. The European Investment Bank (EIB) readily supported Serbia with this, and the Bank’s help means that all schools in Serbia will be digital by the end of 2021.

“A better digital infrastructure improves the school’s efficiency in case of emergencies.” 

A project that meets the need on time

When Serbia went into lockdown in March 2020, lessons moved from classrooms to television sets. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development began broadcasting educational content for elementary and high school students on Serbia’s national public television channels. Like many other countries, Serbia had to think on its feet and adapt to the “new normal” by producing specialised content for multiple grades. However, Serbia had been preparing their digital education content for the last few years as the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development started implementation of their Connected Schools project in 2019, with a total estimated cost of €111 million. Before this project, there were 2,000 digitally equipped classroom across Serbia but in 2019 the number rose to over 10,000. According to Eurostat, the level of individual digital skills in Serbia increased from 32% in 2015 to 46% in 2019.

“By the end of next year, more than 1,800 larger schools will be fully covered with high-speed wireless Internet access.”

About the EIB
The European Investment Bank is the lending arm of the European Union. The EIB is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance, investing in a sustainable future for all.
In November last year, the EIB agreed to back this project with a €65 million loan. The project is now modernising primary and secondary schools in Serbia with new digital equipment and connectivity. The EIB investment will thus support Serbia’s national education strategy and contribute to economic and productivity growth, youth employability and the development of the country’s capacity for innovation. “The COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions imposed caused severe disruption in educational systems and processes. These unprecedented circumstances showed that better digital infrastructure improves the school’s efficiency in case of emergencies,” says Isabelle Stoffel, the senior EIB loan officer who worked on the deal. Milan Dobrijević heads the digital agenda department within the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia and has been working on the project since its inception. “By the end of next year, more than 1,800 larger schools will be fully covered with high-speed wireless internet access, while the remaining remote ones will be connected using mobile broadband units,” he says. Besides the digital infrastructure, the project is investing in nation-wide teacher training. In total, around 50,000 teachers from all over the country will improve their digital skills through this training. Starting from this school year, computer science will also become compulsory for first graders, while programming will be introduced in the third grade.

Tax responsibility is a two-way street

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More responsible tax-payers and more transparent local institutions. The Center for Economic Analyses (CEA), through a project supported by the EU, has tried to identify ways to achieve this double goal by changing the way the two parties communicate. The initial results are encouraging.

 

A project carried out in 2020 by the Skopje-based Center for Economic Analyses (CEA), with the help of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), has shown that citizens are keener on paying local taxes if their municipalities, instead of only sending reminders or warnings, approach them with messages that also call on their sense of personal values and social responsibility.

 

The project was implemented in – and with support from – three municipalities in North Macedonia. It included a social media campaign about tax responsibility, and also revealed another interesting detail: female tax-payers react more to reminders based on an appeal to values and males to the ‘classic’ reminders.

Large Quantities of Protective Supplies Deployed from EU to Serbia

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The EU and its member states continue to support Serbia’s fight against coronavirus. A new batch of supplies from Germany included 43,000 litres of hand disinfectant and 970 litres of surface disinfectant. This German donation comes to Serbia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for covering the needs of the staff of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia.

 

Serbia is a full member of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. As such, it has a right to benefit from direct support upon request.  Just last week, Serbia received a donation of 600,000 high-quality masks and 650,000 pairs of gloves through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its RescEU tool.

 

The European Union is by far the largest investor, the first trading partner and the largest donor to Serbia. With more than three billion euros in non-refundable aid to Serbia provided over the past two decades, the EU is supporting Serbia to become more prosperous, more sustainable, fairer, safer and more democratic, and thus ready to join the Union.

RYCO and EU Fund New Projects in North Macedonia

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The awarded projects are on media literacy and youth entrepreneurship and will be implemented by Ekvalis and YES Foundation, civil society organisations from North Macedonia. The project implemented by Ekvalis will promote media literacy among youth in the region by focusing on critical thinking and leading positive regional narratives. The YES Foundation project will connect youth by enhancing their leadership and entrepreneurial skills, helping them explore new opportunities and ideas that can be innovative in tackling the COVID-19 crisis.

 

The projects are funded under the 4th Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) Open Call for Project Proposals supported by the European Union.

 

The overall objective of the fourth RYCO Open Call for Project Proposals is to support the civil society in the Western Balkans to foster reconciliation and regional youth cooperation during and post COVID-19 crisis. The call aims to contribute to increasing the capacities of CSOs that can implement regional youth-related projects and provide new opportunities for young people.

 

The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) is an independently functioning institutional mechanism, founded by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, aiming to promote the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation between the youth in the region through youth exchange programs. RYCO is financed by the governments of the region, and it is supported by the EU and other donors.

RCC awards six innovative digital solution projects on tourism in the Western Balkans

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In February, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and its Triple P Tourism Project launched the 1st regional FUTOURISMO competition, seeking innovative digital solutions that will help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the heavily affected sector of tourism.

 

In response to this call, over eighty teams from all over the Western Balkans submitted their digital solutions proposals. A jury of tourism and technology professionals selected the six best proposals which were awarded a prize of €15,000 each for implementation of their ideas.

 

The Triple P Tourism Project is funded by the European Union.

A tide of prosperity

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A clean-up of sunken ships from the Second World War makes for safer Danube navigation and a boost for Serbia’s economy The Danube is the second-longest European river and flows through ten countries. Its entire course in Serbia (588 km) is navigable, but the Danube waterway is significantly narrower at the Djerdap gorge, due to the many vessels that were sunk there near the end of the Second World War. In that section of the Danube, upstream of Prahovo port, the waterway is only 180 metres wide and the 23 sunken vessels narrow the waterway to just 100 metres. A European Investment Bank-backed project to remove these sunken vessels is thus of great significance, because the obstacles under the water hinder navigation, especially when the water level is low. The first part of the project focuses on finding the right way to demine and remove dangerous substances from the vessels, as well as finding their exact locations.

“The investment will improve river traffic in Serbia, because the country loses up to €5 million per year due to unsafe navigation in this section of the Danube.”

Faster and safer Danube navigation

Some parts of the ships that have been lying on the bottom of the Danube for more than seven decades will be put on display, and the rest will be returned to Germany. This cleaning of the riverbed will make navigation in this part of the river far safer and faster as well as being an environmental improvement. The investment will improve river traffic in Serbia, because the country loses up to €5 million per year due to unsafe navigation in this section of the Danube, according to former Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Zorana Mihajlović. The project to remove the vessels will be financed by a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) on extremely favourable terms, in cooperation with the Government of Serbia. “Making navigation of the Danube safe again is the way we like to operate: removing obstacles, and tearing down visible and invisible barriers, in this case below the water surface,” says Sem Fabrizi, the EU Ambassador to Serbia. EU integration is first and foremost a process of peace and unity. Since its foundation, the EU has been focused on overcoming the difficulties of the past and clearing the way for further integration. “Our commitment is to make Serbia and the whole Western Balkans region part of this great adventure,” says Fabrizi.

“Everyone in this country is emotionally attached to this river that reveals important tales of the past.”

 
About the EIB
The European Investment Bank is the lending arm of the European Union. The EIB is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance, investing in a sustainable future for all.  
The European Investment Bank has been active in Serbia since 1977, having invested more than €6 billion in various projects. The biggest portion of funds—almost 40% (€2.1 billion)—has been invested in transport projects, with €165 million invested in the energy sector.
The river represents an invaluable natural resource for energy, food and drinking water, generating 22% of the national energy supply. At the same time, it stretches along a key navigation route, offering cost-efficient transit opportunities within regional and EU markets. Dubravka Negre, Head of the EIB in the Western Balkans, says that this project is important for the economic development of Serbia but is also of great historical significance. “Everyone in this country is emotionally attached to this river that reveals important tales of the past,” she says. Negre adds that by contributing to the expansion of international economic ties, the river reconnects the people of the Balkans, who share the same past. Today, after many decades, they can meet on the same path towards a new, common market with European values and prospects for a better tomorrow.

EU supports the expansion of Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor in Serbia

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The construction of the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor is one of the flagship projects under the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. This project, supported under the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF)  contributes to establishing the regional power network that would connect the electricity transmission systems from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Italy.  
Last week, a loan agreement for the WBIF project Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor: Obrenovac – Bajina Bašta Grid Section in Serbia was signed by the Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović, European Integration Minister Jadranka Joksimović, Director of Serbian Electricity Transmission System Operator (EMS JSC) Jelena Matejić, and the Head of the KfW Bank Office in Serbia, Rüdiger Hartmann. The German Ambassador to Belgrade, Thomas Schieb, also attended the event.

RYCO and EU fund new project in Kosovo

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The awarded project will bring together youth from Kosovo and Serbia and allow them to enhance their skills and employability opportunities through tailor-made training sessions on soft and technical skills. The project will be implemented by NGO Lady from Kosovo in partnership with NGO Children’s Center: The Little Prince” from Serbia.

 

The project is supported within the 4th Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) Open Call for Project Proposals supported by the European Union.

 

Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) is an independently functioning institutional mechanism founded by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, aiming to promote the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation between the youth in the region through youth exchange programs. RYCO is financed by the governments of the region and it is supported by the EU and other donors.

Bypassing COVID-19

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Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, work on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s new motorway keeps rolling thanks to EU grants, financing from the EU bank—and a refusal to give up The people of the Western Balkans know how to keep going, even in troubled times. Still, it’s impressive that, despite the economic and social difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction work on a new transport artery in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues. The work will transform rugged terrain into a modern, sleek highway that will bring benefits to travel times and road safety. Uninterrupted work on this major regional highway, known as Corridor Vc, has been possible thanks to precautionary measures set up by authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the contractors, who introduced rigorous safety protocols and protective equipment. The health of construction workers is monitored daily and the sites are regularly disinfected. The aim of these efforts is to keep operations going, retain jobs and ensure regular incomes for the people engaged on this project.

“We try to reorganise our work as much as we can and keep going as we would in normal circumstances.”

Faster commuting for 1.5 million people

It’s a daunting task to provide adequate medical safety measures and restrictions and, at the same time, to ensure timely procurement and supply of construction materials and spare parts for machinery. COVID-19 has disrupted supply and production chains globally. EU support has been essential for the Western Balkans, enabling easier circulation of goods within the region and into the EU for all kinds of projects, including the Corridor Vc construction. “We try to reorganise our work as much as we can and keep going as we would in normal circumstances,” says Semir Muslić, site supervisor for one of the contractors working on the Ivan Tunnel. The significance of this ambitious investment programme is far-reaching. Corridor Vc is one of the most important transport projects in the region, connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina to Hungary, eastern Croatia and the Adriatic Sea. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has invested €631 million in the construction of 102 km of motorway on this corridor.

“The European Investment Bank remains committed to the long-term, sustainable development of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

 
About the EIB
The European Investment Bank is the lending arm of the European Union. The EIB is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance, investing in a sustainable future for all.
These funds from the EIB have been matched with more than €200 million in European Union grants, provided under the Connectivity Agenda. These have been channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, a mechanism combining grants with implementing partner financing to support EU enlargement and socio-economic development in the region. “The European Investment Bank remains committed to the long-term, sustainable development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we are proud of our role as one of the major investors in the country’s road infrastructure,” said Matteo Rivellini, head of lending in Croatia, Slovenia and the Western Balkans for the EU bank. Connecting cities, regions and countries creates a whole new range of opportunities for socio-economic growth, employment and regional trade flows. Modern roads bring increased safety, with lower accident rates and lower vehicle operating costs. 1.5 million people living along Corridor Vc now have access to a new highway that cuts their travel times almost in half. Safer, faster, more efficient and intelligent transport networks are a prerequisite for creating a more coherent and integrated market in the region, and a necessity for better living conditions for the people of the Western Balkans. And even the coronavirus won’t stop that.

Skills gap growing in EU neighbourhood

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A new study, “Changing skills for a changing world “, conducted by the European Training Foundation (ETF), presents recommendations for shaping policy response.

 

The report provides a unique perspective on skills needs in an evolving labour market in transition and developing countries. The first of its kind focusing on countries neighbouring the EU, including the Western Balkans, the study highlights common features in terms of emerging skills needs and the future of work across different countries.

 

The study is a collection of articles from researchers from the ETF and from countries including  Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Lebanon, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. It indicates that manufacturing, construction, and agriculture jobs are those most at risk of automation and digitalisation. Job polarisation is a recurring trend, increasing the gap between high and low skilled workers. Investments in digital infrastructure and the reshaping education systems are needed for countries to compete globally and adapt to emerging needs.

 

The European Training Foundation is an EU agency that helps transition and developing countries harness the potential of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems, and in the context of the EU’s external relations policy.