Author: WeBalkans

EU supports vaccination efforts in the Western Balkans

Written by WeBalkans on 19 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

The European Union, in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new regional project worth over €7 million to support safe and effective vaccination of the populations across the Western Balkans.

This project will help prepare the region for the effective reception and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, including those received from COVAX and through the EU vaccine sharing mechanism with EU Member States. It will also help improve the region’s resilience against health emergencies, and support it in moving towards sustainable funding for universal health care. Activities will include the development and testing of emergency preparedness plans, training for health professionals and development of information management systems for vaccine rollout.

EU launches the secretariat of a new initiative for coal regions in transition

Written by WeBalkans on 19 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

The European Commission has launched the secretariat of a new initiative to help coal regions in the Western Balkans and Ukraine transition away from coal towards a carbon-neutral economy.

Mirroring the successful EU Initiative for coal regions in transition, the newly established secretariat will deliver support to coal regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine. The secretariat will provide direct support for implementing the initiative and ensure collaboration across the diversity of institutions and actors involved.

The Initiative for coal regions in transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine was launched in December 2020.

Belgrade and Skopje candidates for the European Green Capital 2023 Award

Written by WeBalkans on 18 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

The new cycle of European green city awards has seen 30 cities from across Europe competing to become Europe’s next European Green Capital and European Green Leaf Award winners. The list of candidates also includes Belgrade, Serbia and Skopje, North Macedonia. The winners will be announced in 2021 and will receive a combined financial prize fund of €1 million.

With more than two thirds of Europe’s population living in urban areas, the European Green Capital and European Green Leaf Awards aim to recognise the environmental achievements of cities and towns that strive for urban sustainability and eco-innovation, and inspire others to take positive action in making their cities fit for life.

RYCO and EU fund new project in Montenegro

Written by WeBalkans on 18 Feb 2021. 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.

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

Written by WeBalkans on 18 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

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 E urochild 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

Anniversary of “Together for Albania” International Donors Conference

Written by WeBalkans on 18 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

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.

Migration: EU Commissioner Johansson in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania

Written by WeBalkans on 16 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

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.

Montenegro improves its Customs online system

Written by WeBalkans on 15 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

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.

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

Written by WeBalkans on 11 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

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.

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

Written by WeBalkans on 11 Feb 2021. Posted in News.

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.