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Author: WeBalkans

RYCO and EU fund new project in Montenegro

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) signed a contract with the Montenegrin Pan European Union (Crnogorska Panevropska Unija) on Thursday 18 February 2021, under the 4th RYCO Open Call for Project Proposals supported by the European Union. The awarded project will address the gaps of active youth engagement in regional reconciliation processes by focusing on aspects of democracy and identity. The project will be implemented by a consortium of civil society organisations from Western Balkan countries with the aim of connecting 600 young people across the region.

 

The lead partner of the consortium is Montenegrin Pan-European Union. The other partner organisations include Center for Foreign Policy from Serbia, Observatory for Children and Youth Rights from Albania and the Pan-European Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

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.

 

The project is funded within the framework of the 4th RYCO Open Call for Project Proposals which is supported by the European Union.

 

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First Years First Priority campaign: a fair start for every child in Europe

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All children deserve a fair start in their life. Poverty, discrimination, disability should not stand in the way of children’s educational, physical, emotional and social growth. These are the core messages of the First Years First Priority Europe-wide campaign, co-led by Eurochild and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA).

 

The campaign will run in nine countries across Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, France, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Romania) under the leadership of national coordinators that will facilitate the establishment of expanded coalitions of national partners campaigning together to improve national efforts to support early childhood development (ECD).

 

The campaign is co-funded by the European Union

 

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Anniversary of “Together for Albania” International Donors Conference

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The first anniversary of the International Donors’ Conference “Together for Albania” was marked on 17 February. The conference was organised in Brussels by the European Commission to support Albania following the devastating earthquake of November 2019.

 

Out of the record pledge of €1.15 billion, the European Commission, EU Member States and the European Investment Bank contributed €400 million for Albania’s recovery, including €115 million in direct grants from the European Commission.

 

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Migration: EU Commissioner Johansson in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania

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On Thursday 18 February, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania to discuss the cooperation with both countries on migration and partner countries’ migration management systems.

 

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Commissioner will meet with members of the Presidency, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Security, the Prime Minister of the Una-Sana Canton and the Mayor of Bihać.  On Saturday, in Albania, she will meet the President of the Republic, Ilir Meta; Prime Minister, Edi Rama; Minister of Interior, Bledi Cuçi; and the leader of the opposition, Luzlim Basha.

 

The Commissioner will also travel to the Kakavia border crossing with Greece, where she will visit the Frontex-Albania joint border control operation. Finally, she will visit an EU-funded project providing COVID-19 protective equipment for migrants.

 

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Montenegro improves its Customs online system

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The Customs Administration of Montenegro has created a new national system for excise duties, with the financial and expert assistance of the European Union. It is an application, which will increase the collection of excise duties and control the movement of excise products (petrol, tobacco, alcohol and coffee), and simplify and speed up the reporting of liabilities to businessmen.

 

Taxpayers now will be able to submit documents electronically via the web portal and monitor analytical cards in real-time. The application for excise duties was created within the EU project Support to the Customs Administration in the Field of Excise Duties.

 

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The EU provides €4 million to continue developing local employment partnerships in BiH

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Following the successful implementation of the first phase of the project, the EU has allocated an additional €4 million to support partnership initiatives of key actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s labour market.

 

The project ‘European Union Support to Local Partnerships for Employment – Phase II’ will enable representatives of local authorities, education, employers, public employment services, and NGOs to create sustainable, partnership-based mechanisms at the local level.

 

The project will be implemented in cooperation with the International Labor Organization from January 2021 to the end of 2023.

 

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EU supports Serbia with €23 million for improving Integrated Border Management

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The EU-funded Sector Budget Support programme provided Serbia with an additional €22.86 million donation, through the Sector Reform Contract (SRC) for Integrated Border Management (IBM).

 

This multi-year programme supports Serbia’s capacity to effectively control its borders, safeguard national security, reduce organised crime and irregular migration, and ensure smooth border crossing.  Thanks to the upgraded infrastructure, equipment and border surveillance, and training courses, the Sector Reform Contract has greatly improved the efficiency and quality of the work of the Border Police and other Serbian border agencies to manage more effectively flows of persons, transport and goods via borders and tackle irregular migration.

 

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Informal exploratory talks with Kosovo for association to Horizon Europe

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Upon a formal expression of interest of Kosovo to associate to the EU Research & Innovation Framework Programme, the European Commission and Kosovo are currently engaged in exploratory talks to prepare the negotiations for association to Horizon Europe. The latest virtual exploratory meeting took place on 4 February 2021. Horizon Europe is an EU funded research and innovation framework programme running from 2021 to 2027.

 

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Coronavirus: EU sends further medical material to neighbouring countries

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The European Union is sending medical supplies, such as gloves, masks and overalls to Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia following their requests for assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

 

The procurement, storage and transport costs of the medical equipment under the EU-wide rescEU medical reserve are fully financed by the European Commission. Slovakia and Germany are also providing coronavirus related assistance to Montenegro and Serbia in response to their requests. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 30 countries have received aid in medical or personal protective equipment through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

 

 

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Virtual exhibition “New Year, New Artists, New Hopes” is now open

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Five young artists from Kosovo present their artwork in the virtual exhibition “New Year, New Artists, New Hopes” recently launched by the Europe House in Pristina. The artwork includes sculptures, conceptual art and paintings.  The exhibition is launched in cooperation with the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pristina and can be visited virtually by clicking here.

 

The exhibition will remain open until the end of March 2021 for a virtual and in-person visit.

 

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