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Author: WeBalkans

Coming together and eating together in Prizren, Kosovo

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

A group of organisations from Kosovo are introducing innovative ways to present cultural heritage as a contemporary experience to be lived and enjoyed. Prizren is considered the cultural capital of Kosovo because of its history and abundance of cultural heritage. The city has a rich traditional food heritage too, including leqenik cornbread, local cheese, and meat-based dishes such as tavë, and sarma. Yet these delicious foods are not accessible for most visitors. They are part of a regular home menu for families in Prizren but are rarely found in the restaurants. A group of civil society organisations has taken the initiative to present this delicious hidden treasure even to visitors who don’t have friends in Prizren. The idea is simple: an online app presenting a range of traditional food and the households where this food can be tasted in return for a fee. In this way, apart from tasting the traditional food, the visitor will also be able to glimpse traditional family life and enjoy the interior décor of Prizren’s historic houses.

“The idea of the hub is to gather from various sectors the organisations that are active in the field of cultural heritage, and to create synergies”

This is just one of the projects coming very soon from a group of organisations who are part of a heritage co-creation hub. The hub was initiated by the EU-funded ILUCIDARE project with the aim of bringing together local cultural organisations to facilitate knowledge transfer, experimentation, and cross-sector collaboration. The project also aims to influence the economic and social development of the city by highlighting its cultural and artistic potential. Erëmirë Krasniqi is the Executive Director of Oral History Kosovo, one of the hub’s members. “The idea of the hub is to gather from various sectors the organisations that are active in the field of cultural heritage, and to create synergies” she explains. Making intangible heritage tangible Prizren has remarkable architectural gems, and its heritage sites are testimony of diverse cultural influences and traditions. However, the city also has a very rich intangible heritage – notably its crafts (in particular dowry embroidery,[tapestry and filigree ), music and gastronomy. “We are used to seeing Prizren as old mosques and churches, but we have very little guidance for enjoying other things such as music, food, and filigree. Our idea is to enable people to understand cultural heritage not only as something from the past but as a contemporary thing that you can touch, taste, experience and enjoy,” Erëmirë says. Erëmirë also explains that one of the goals of the heritage hub is to capture this type of local momentum. “If there is an idea or an opportunity we can support and boost it and use the hub as a sort of a lab where the ideas pour in, are tested, and further developed with our collaboration and professional support.The ultimate vision is to magnify the voice of cultural heritage organisations, and increase our presence and the volume of the projects in the field of cultural heritage,” she says ILUCIDARE is a three-year project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. The project is led by the University of Leuven (Belgium) and brings together eight international partners The project aims to promote heritage-led innovation and heritage-led international cooperation.

“We are really in constant dialogue; we are co-creating ideas, and I think that is important.”

The project is being implemented across four continents, with locations including Western Europe, the Western Balkans, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South America. The project wants its long-term impact to be establishing the first global network of practitioners promoting heritage-led innovation and international relations worldwide. Promoting heritage-led international cooperation across the globe The Cultural Heritage without Borders NGO is the project’s partner in the Western Balkans. As well as the heritage-led innovation coming from its hub, their project has an initiative focused on heritage-led international cooperation. Specifically, they are mapping and recording the kullas (traditional stone houses) in Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro and preparing a case for them to be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Dr Aziliz Vandesande is a postdoctoral researcher at the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation at the Catholic University of Leuven and is the project’s technical coordinator. She explains that in developing the project they wanted to embrace a new concept of international relations. “What fits much better is the idea of knowledge exchange. We are really in constant dialogue; we are co-creating ideas, and I think that is important,” she says.

‘Peace Highway’ moving forward with EU support

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Earlier this week, Serbia agreed an additional €85 million loan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the construction of the Niš – Pločnik part of the “Peace Highway”. The highway will connect the cities of Niš in Serbia and Pristina (Kosovo), further promoting and improving regional integration in the Western Balkans.

 

Sem Fabrizi, EU Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, said: “I welcome the signing of the loan with the EBRD as another concrete step in the realisation of this important project. The “Peace Highway” is one of the bridges for the peace and reconciliation in the Western Balkans. It will boost economic cooperation and recovery and make the region more prosperous by delivering better connectivity between people.”

 

The EU has already mobilised substantial financial resources for the construction of this highway by providing a €40.6 million grant for lot one of the Niš – Pločnik section, as well as a €9.6 million grant for the preparation of project documentation through the Western Balkans Investment Framework. In addition, the construction of the Niš – Pločnik section is co-financed with a €100 million preferential loan by the European Investment Bank.

 

With the latest loan of up to €85 million from the EBRD, construction of the section between the cities of Niš and Pločnik is moving forward. The first works tender for this section is to be launched in December 2020 while the tender for supervision services is ongoing.

 

The “Peace Highway” is one of the flagship investment projects within the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. The plan supports major road and railway connections in order to create a better connection between the economies of the Western Balkans and with the EU.

Bridging the digital divide for the most vulnerable children in Serbia

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The “Bridging Digital Divide for Most Vulnerable Children” project was launched today by the Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi, the Serbian Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Branko Ružić, and UNICEF Representative in Serbia, Deyana Kostadinova.

 

COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to education, affecting an entire generation of students. For this reason, the Ministry, the European Union and UNICEF have joined forces to bridge the digital divide for some of the most vulnerable children in Serbia through education system support, the provision of open-source educational resources and technical equipment, and through school-based activities aimed at improving children’s learning outcomes. The EU-funded project is worth €2 million and will be implemented in 30 municipalities across Serbia.

 

In the opening remarks of the event, EU Ambassador to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi said: “The EU stands ready to continue helping Serbia to address the most urgent needs caused by COVID-19. Education is for us a priority. We need adapting the education system to the needs emerging from a distance and online learning and avoiding no one is left behind. The most pressing need is to ensure equal access to education, particularly for the underprivileged students who are affected the most in this emergency situation.”

 

The project is an essential element in the response to bridging the digital divide. By supplying 30 schools in Serbia with 1,800 tablets, as well as with other educational resources and support, this project will help the education system to adapt to the new challenges posed by COVID, and build the necessary digital resilience for the future.

 

The project will ensure that at national level there is further development of an inclusive e-learning system and institutions’ strengthened capacity for its delivery, management and monitoring. This includes further development of the technical capacities of the distance learning platform and supporting the development of its content.

EU Delegation joins global campaign for the elimination of violence against women

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The Delegation and other official buildings and landmarks in Skopje lit up orange on 25 November, sending a message about a future without violence. This year, the traditional UN campaign on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women started amid reports that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased domestic violence across the world. The situation was alarming enough before the lockdown measures: one in three women in Europe had experienced physical and/or sexual violence, which went largely unreported. In much of the world, safety and protection measures for victims are limited and legislation on violence against women remains insufficient.

 

According to UN data, 45% of surveyed women and girls in North Macedonia stated that they had experienced some form of violence.

 

The campaign aims to highlight that the scale and true nature of this issue is often hidden, and to call for action since, as the EU Ambassador to North Macedonia David Geer stressed in his video message, “violence against women is violence against all”.

 

The start of this year’s campaign saw another important step on the part of the EU to tackle the issue – the launch of the new EU Gender Action Plan, an ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the EU’s external action.

 

“Change is possible, but it requires action, commitment and determination. The EU is committed to continue to work tirelessly with its partners to investigate and punish acts of violence, ensure support for victims, and at the same time to address the root causes and reinforce the legal framework,” the European Commission and High Representative / Vice-President Josep Borrell said in a joint statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Happy first birthday, Europe House!

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Over 100 in-house events, with more than 3,400 participants and over 120 guest speakers – these are some of the achievements of the first year of Skopje’s Europe House. Designed as a place for young people to get together, network and develop ideas on how to shape a better future for themselves and North Macedonia, Europe House’s success has inspired the Delegation to open similar hubs in other towns.

 

Musicians performing jazz, painters creating live art, and mime artists telling stories without words… This is how Europe House’s window displays entertained passers-by and a huge audience on Facebook on the occasion of its first birthday, in a time of pandemic.

 

On 4 November 2019, European Parliament President David Sassoli inaugurated Europe House with the message: “Young people, this is a place for you to get together, exchange ideas and connect with other people so that you create fresh opportunities for yourselves and your country.”

 

One year later, Europe House has every reason to be proud of what it has achieved. In addition to many in-house events and those outside its premises (such as visits to high schools and environment clean-up campaigns all over the country), Europe House has organised online debates, live streams and podcasts as a way to maintain its work during the pandemic.

 

Obviously, COVID-19 also defined the format of the birthday programme. The full-day programme was not confined to performances as part of Europe House’s window displays: a mobile application was launched. Called “Virtual Europe House” it was designed for young people to organise, share or take part in events they were interested in. Ambassador David Geer and the recently selected ten Young European Ambassadors from North Macedonia also debated the challenges of the new generation. The programme wrapped up with an online night party with a local DJ.

 

Europe House plans to celebrate its next birthday in more premises, with even more activities and opportunities for young people. Following the overwhelmingly positive feedback to the work of Europe House in Skopje, it is planned to open Europe Houses in Kriva Palanka and Strumica shortly.

EU continues to help the Roma community in Montenegro

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During November, the European Union in Montenegro and the Council of Europe have helped the Roma-Egyptian community in Montenegro to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 virus. Help was provided through their joint ROMACTED programme in collaboration with the national partner organisation, Young Roma. Support was provided to the Roma and Egyptian community in the municipalities of Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, and Herceg Novi.

 

In Bijelo Polje, 70 Roma families received aid packages, which included food, personal hygiene products, baby food, sweets, and cosmetics. In Herceg Novi, 71 families received 100 aid packages, and in Berane, based on personal requests of individuals, in order to facilitate work and improve sources of income, 125 pieces of tools were provided for 50 users. In Bar, 12 RE high school students received vouchers worth up to €100 to buy clothes, shoes or school textbooks.

 

“Given that the coronavirus affects the income and living standard of the Roma community, which is the most vulnerable group of the population, and whose financial possibilities are limited, it was decided to re-grant aid through several sets of measures. The Young Roma NGO will continue to help the Roma community in the coming period in accordance with the project tasks and opportunities, and to fight for the improvement of their position in all areas,” said Samir Jaha, Executive Director of the Young Roma NGO.

 

From March to the end of November, 626 Roma families in Bar, Bijelo Polje, Herceg Novi, Nikšić, Tivat and Ulcinj received assistance packages under the ROMACTED programme worth around €36,000.

 

The ROMACTED project is designed to build political will and sustainable policies of local government participation and encourage the empowerment of local Roma communities. ROMACTED is funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union, while the Young Roma NGO is a partner organisation in its implementation. The programme is being implemented in seven Western Balkan countries and Turkey. In Montenegro, this programme is implemented in eight municipalities: Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Herceg Novi, Nikšić, Podgorica, Tivat,  and Ulcinj.

The first hackathon dedicated to climate change in Montenegro

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Montenegro’s first edition of the Climathon, a worldwide environmental competition dedicated to climate change, will be organised in Podgorica on 28 and 29 November. It will be a 24-hour-long hackathon, in which participants will propose innovative solutions to urban problems related to the climate crisis. The Montenegro Climathon is being organised by the Gnijezdo (meaning ‘nest’) NGO, under the auspices of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro and in cooperation with the City of Podgorica, Erste Bank, the Ministry of Science, the Montenegro Chamber of Commerce, the Petrović Njegoš Foundation, Telenor, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  
Anyone between the ages of 15 and 45 can apply and applicants are allowed to form teams of up to five members. Each team can apply with one idea, with priority given to teams with new ideas and solutions that have not been presented at and/or funded through other competitions.  
So far, Climathon has been organised on six continents, in 56 countries and 145 cities. It was launched in 2015 by Climate-KIC, the environmental branch of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which is a European Union body, to enable local institution representatives to come together with citizens and jointly propose solutions to the environmental challenges that their communities face.  
The Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro has decided to support this unique event in Podgorica because the fight against climate change is one of the EU’s main priorities.  
“We are facing the consequences of climate change on the global, national, but also the local level. That is why it is the obligation of all of us to contribute to the fight against climate change, and the starting points can actually be events like this one. We are pleased that Climathon is now being organised in Montenegro and we are sure that it will give birth to many great ideas, which will make the capital an even better and healthier place to live,” the Delegation said.  
Teams can develop educational programmes, software solutions or any new product or service which would make Podgorica a cleaner city, and which they want to implement. In addition to cash prizes, the best solutions will receive UNDP support and mentorship for the further development and implementation of ideas after the completion of the competition.

The Head of the EU Office in Kosovo / EU Special Representative Tomáš Szunyog visits Kosovo’s northern municipalities

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The municipalities of Zvečan/Zveçan and Zubin Potok were the focus of today’s visit to northern Kosovo by EU Ambassador Szunyog. He visited various projects and other sites in the north and met with local authorities. Ambassador Szunyog discussed the region’s tourism potential, support to entrepreneurs, and green economic development with the Mayor of Zubin Potok, Srđan Vulović.

 

The two officials discussed the current political and security situation, and the significance of the Gazivode/Ujmani lake for the municipality and Kosovo as a whole. Ambassador Szunyog commended the efforts of local authorities in preserving inter-community cooperation and in providing a regional safe house for victims of domestic violence.

 

In Zvečan/Zveçan the EU Ambassador also visited the regional Savina Stena landfill, funded by the EU with €5 million. The landfill is to be completed in early 2021, and with significant improvements to waste management, the environment and citizens’ health it will serve the people of four northern Kosovan municipalities – Leposavić/Leposaviq, North Mitrovica, Zvečan/Zveçan and Zubin Potok. The landfill has a surface area of 26,000m2and a capacity of 300,000m3.

 

The EU is also financing the purchase of eight waste collection trucks and over 880 waste containers, worth a total of €1 million, for all four municipalities. In addition, the EU will soon launch a new project constructing waste collection points. The total value of all EU support in this sector in northern Kosovo is €7.5 million.

The EU Office in Kosovo/ EUSR joins global campaign for the elimination of violence against women

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The 16 Days of Activism Global Campaign against Gender-Based Violence was launched in Gjakova/Ðakovica today by Ambassador Tomáš Szunyog, the EU Special Representative / Head of the EU Office in Kosovo. Ambassador Szunyog and Ardian Gjini, Mayor of Gjakova/Ðakovica municipality, marked the beginning of the campaign in a ceremony at the municipal offices.

 

At the launch ceremony, Ambassador Szunyog said that: “Survivors must be at the centre of the policies. They need to feel that they are not alone. Domestic and gender-based violence affects the whole society, so all of us should be involved in eliminating it. The EU remains committed to supporting Kosovo in ending violence against women, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

Ambassador Szunyog also visited the shelter for survivors of gender-based violence and joined the lighting up in orange of the Terzi and Tabak bridges. He was accompanied by Ulrika Richardson, UN Development Coordinator; Vlora Tuzi Nushi, Head of UN Women; and Maria Suokko, the United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative.

 

This year, the traditional UN campaign on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women started amid reports that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased domestic violence across the world. COVID-19 triggered this year’s global theme “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”.

EU4AGRI project latest call offers BAM 3.5 million in support to agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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EU4AGRI is a four-year (2020-2024) European Union project valued at BAM 20.25 million that aims to modernise the agri-food sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is jointly implemented and co-financed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in BiH and the Czech Development Agency.
 
The latest EU4AGRI call is open to individuals, entrepreneurs, cooperatives and companies actively engaged in primary agricultural production in sectors such as milk production, meat production, cereal farming, fruit cultivation (including wine and olive growing), vegetable cultivation and egg production.  
The aim of the call is to support the achievement of sustainable agriculture and introduction of good practices, as well as the creation of new jobs – and the retention of existing ones. The total available funds for this public call amount to BAM 3.5 million. Each applicant can submit an application for funds between BAM 30,000 and BAM 200,000. For every investment, the applicant must secure co-financing of between 20% and 35% of the total value of the proposed investment. The deadline for submission of applications is 15.00 on 15 February 2021.