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Author: WeBalkans

EU supports medical institutions in Serbia

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Administration of coronavirus vaccines has been taking place in Serbia for some time, and to be carried out successfully, equipment is needed. The way vaccines are stored is of particular importance, which creates the need for special types of refrigerators. The European Union (EU), with the help from the Office of the United Nations for project services (UNOPS), responded to the request and secured 32 freezers and 33 refrigerators for 26 medical institutions.

 

The value of this donation is nearly € 490,000.  “We donated millions of items of personal protective equipment (facemasks, suits, gloves), 140 triage containers, respirators, oxygen concentrators, 32 fully equipped ambulance cars and special vehicles for decontamination, and finally, the hiring of 200 Serbian healthcare workers in July, were all made possible thanks to the EU. I signed another grant package for the health sector worth. €2.6 million  on 30 December, so that Serbia can have a reliable ’cold chain’ for vaccine administration “, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi recently told Blic daily in an interview.

Wolves and bears on buses in Serbia promote EU programme “Natura 2000”

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Since 6 April, public transportation in Belgrade and two other large cities in Serbia – Novi Sad and Niš – has a new look.  “Healthy nature for a healthy life” is the slogan of a new campaign in Serbia promoting the EU programme “Natura 2000”. Buses, trams and trolleys display winning photos from the recently organised “Natura 2000 in the frame” photo exhibition to showcase the beauties of biodiversity in Serbia.

 

Additionally, by correctly answering the questions on the posters inside the vehicles and by taking photos of these wildlife beauties circulating urban areas, citizens will be able to win prizes during May.

 

Buses are already attracting the attention of the media and many residents of these cities. The campaign is organised by the project “EU for Natura 2000 in Serbia”.

 

You can see how Belgrade streets look at the moment on the social media accounts of the EU Delegation to Serbia.

A lifeline for young Roma in time of Coronavirus

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A toy library in Bosnia and Herzegovina offers vulnerable children the chance to play and learn even in the middle of a pandemic.
Five-year-old Denis* sees himself as a doctor and wants to become one when he grows up. Every day, Denis draws people in medical outfits and plays at healing other children whom he refers to as his patients.  All of this creativity would go unnoticed if it wasn’t for the innovative toy library created at the Romalen Roma support centre in Denis’ town of Kakanj in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. The library’s high-quality educational toys and story books have made it a success in the community, with up to 84 children attending the library, most of them from the Roma community.
The Roma are one of Europe’s largest and most disadvantaged minority groups. Discrimination against Roma communities is commonplace, fuelling their exclusion. The problems facing Roma children can start early in life and have a life-long impact. Few participate in early childhood education and only 50% complete compulsory education. This is why supporting early childhood development is vitally important to try to break the cycle.

“The toy library is where the magic of education happens. Children play and create their own universe, and, at the same time, they discover the world.”

The EU-supported initiative is run by the Roma Education Fund (REF).  Since 2017, REF has established 64 toy libraries in 13 countries across Central and Eastern Europe, including the Western Balkans where thousands of children have been involved. “We are committed to creating such spaces for Roma children, dedicated to their learning and play,” says Ioan Tănase, REF’s Project Manager. “The toy library is where the magic of education happens. Children play and create their own universe and, at the same time, they discover the world. It’s playing and education at the same time – it’s magical.”  

Staying connected while maintaining distance

Like so many other activities around the world, the activities at the Kakanj toy library were halted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The centre was closed in early spring but the concept lived on mainly thanks to two crucial factors. Firstly, the children continued to be able to borrow toys, puzzles and books. Secondly, the toy library concept had encouraged the engagement of the whole community, especially in building relationships between children, family and library staff. Parents knew that the library offered a solution to the pandemic’s sudden interruption of their children’s education.

“Toy libraries offer something for parents who are not able to afford to send their child to kindergarten.”

About the project The “EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Education Opportunities for Roma Students and Youth in Western Balkans and Turkey” (RARE) project is co-funded by the IPA II Annual Multi-Country Action Programme 2017 and the Roma Education Fund, which also implements the project. “Toy libraries offer something for parents who are not able to afford to send their child to kindergarten, and that is a daily chance to spend time somewhere where the children have the opportunity to develop their skills and greatly increase the degree of inclusion,” says Tănase. The Romalen Roma support centre had to come up with quick solutions for their children. They set up an online educational programme using video communication apps where children could connect. There were no guarantees that this system would work, never mind be successful, but the results have been outstanding. Inspired by the progress made pre-pandemic, and a determination to maintain the links forged between the centre and the families and children, the number of participants remained similar to pre-COVID-19 times. As for little Denis, he adapted quickly to the new format of communication imposed by the pandemic, and in no time he became the unchallenged leader of his digital community. He is even more steadfast now in his commitment to become a physician offering medical aid to his community and everyone in need. *The child’s name has been changed to protect his identity.

The house of Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić in Montenegro turned into an Eco-museum

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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.

EBRD and EU to boost the competitiveness of small businesses in North Macedonia

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New financing by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will boost the competitiveness of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North Macedonia. The EBRD is providing a loan of up to €2.5 million to Komercijalna Banka AD Skopje for 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 the European 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.

Call for proposals for youth employability in Montenegro

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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.

EU disburses €90 million in macro-financial assistance to Albania

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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.

Meet the celebrity bear from Montenegro

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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.”

EU funded training on fact-checking for Kosovo journalists

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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.

Erasmus+ brings over €26.2 billion to support mobility and cooperation

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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.