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Author: WeBalkans

WB Youth Forum 2023 in Tirana: Empowering Youth to Act on Berlin Declaration

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Under the theme “Balkan Youth Express,” this forum brought together more than 90 participants including 36 young participants from the region, ministers, different local and regional stakeholders, institutional representatives, and more. Ultimately, a space and a platform for youth to track the developments stemming from the Berlin Declaration in 2022, set the pillars of the Declaration for 2023, and establish tangible actions and activities to transform these aspirations into reality was created. Additionally, to have the opportunity to address all of this at the high-decision-making table of WB and EU actors.

 

Also, Young European Ambassadors participated in the forum. Some as participants and others as facilitators.

 

The event commenced at the Center for Openness and Dialogue in Tirana, and from there, all participants embarked on a train journey from Elbasan to Durres. Along the ride, youth engaged in productive discussions focusing on the 3 main pillars of the Berlin Declaration in order to shape the action plans. A day later, the youth formally presented the action points to local stakeholders at the concluding event at Piramida Center.

 

The forum played a crucial role in the broader framework of the Berlin Process initiated in 2014, aimed at fostering regional integration and strengthening ties with the EU. Within this initiative, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) has emerged as a vital institutional mechanism, connecting and empowering the youth of the Western Balkans. The upcoming 2023 Berlin Process Summit in Tirana on the 16th of October promises to not only showcase the region’s commitment to integration but also to empower its youth and solidify collaboration among decision-makers.

 

36 young representatives from the region, participating in the WB Youth Forum 2023, called upon various stakeholders and decision-makers to reflect on the formulated action points and cooperate in different ways.

Opportunities for Cross Border Cooperation

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Projects that increase employment opportunities and social rights, improve the quality of health and social institutions, as well as those that promote tourism, protection of cultural heritage and nature will be the focus of the new Cross Border Cooperation programme between Serbia and Montenegro. The programme is financially supported by the European Union. On behalf of the EU, the new programme was signed by EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret, on behalf of Serbia by the Minister for European Integration, Tanja Miščević, while on behalf of Montenegro, the State Secretary in the Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro, Milena Žižić.

 

“Firstly, we are signing a new Cross Border Cooperation Programme between Serbia and Montenegro, amounting to EUR 8.4 million of EU funds”, said Ambassador Giaufret.

 

After the signing, 23 contracts were handed over for cooperation projects between Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which were approved during the previous cross border agreement IPA II (2014-2020).

 

Cross Border Cooperation is based on needs. That is why the priorities of this instrument are based on clear assessments. Its key elements are the accession or European partnerships established by the EU with beneficiary countries, the Commission’s strategic document for enlargement and annual reports for each of the countries. Through cross border cooperation, various forms of assistance can be provided to countries implementing political and economic reforms on their way to EU membership: investments, procurement contracts or subsidies; assistance of experts from member states for the development of administrative cooperation; activities to support beneficiary countries; assistance for the implementation and management of programmes; in exceptional cases, budget support.

A New Kindergarten in the Užice village of Karan with EU support

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Thanks to the support of the European Union, Užice got its first village kindergarten in Karan, which will soon be attended by about 50 children. With the EU grant in the amount of almost 180,000 Euros extended through the EU PRO Plus programme, and a significant Užice City co-funding of over 200,000 Euros, the kindergarten facility in Karan was adapted and expanded, and now has an equipped kitchen with a dining room, two work rooms for children of different ages age, a teacher room thus providing adequate conditions for preschool education and growing up of children. The kindergarten is also equipped with furniture and didactic material.

 

The European Union, as the largest donor in Serbia, supports the modernization of the education system and harmonization with the standards and practices of EU countries. Since 2003, the EU has donated more than 100 million euros for the reform of the education sector – for the improvement of preschool education and education, the reform of secondary vocational education and adult education, renovation and equipping of schools and colleges, support for inclusive education, etc.

 

The European Union program for local development – EU PRO Plus contributes to a more balanced socio-economic development of 99 local governments in two regions: Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia. The program works on improved management of territorial development, economic growth and improved social infrastructure and social cohesion.

57th Bitef Festival opened

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This year’s 57th Bitef was officially opened at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, with a moving speech by director Boro Drašković and the acclaimed German play “Children of the Sun” directed by Mateja Koležnik.  
Before the opening, a festive cocktail was held in the Yugoslav Drama Theater organised by Bitef and the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia. On that occasion, the festival’s artistic director Nikita Milivojević and deputy head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Plamena Halacheva, greeted the attendees.  
In her opening address, Halacheva pointed out that she is proud that the EU Delegation in Serbia is supporting the Bitef festival for the sixth time.  
Tickets are on sale through the festival website, and can also be purchased at the Bitef box office on the first floor of the MTS hall, as well as before the beginning of the performances at the ticket offices of the mentioned theaters.  
All information about the main and supporting programs of the festival can be found on the official website of the festival, as well as via social networks Facebook and Instagram.

Conference on Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean

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The National Tourist Organisation of Montenegro (NTO CG), as part of the “Tourism Dialogue” project, organised a conference in Podgorica on the topic of “First Steps Towards Collaborative Management of Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean.” This is a project dedicated to improving tourism management in the Mediterranean region, in which NTO CG is the leading partner from Montenegro, and the associated partner is the Statistical Office MONSTAT. The project aims to create greener and smarter tourism in the Mediterranean through intensive cross-border cooperation. Partners from seven Mediterranean countries (Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, and Croatia) attended the conference in Podgorica.

 

The ‘Tourism Dialogue‘project is supported through the INTERREG Technical Support Programme for the Euro-Mediterranean Transnational Programme 2021-2027 (Euro-MED) and will last for seven years. In addition to NTO CG and MONSTAT, who is an associated partner in this project, partners include the Andalusian Public Foundation “El legado andalusi” from Spain as the leading partner in the project, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region from France, the Institute for Agriculture and Tourism – IPTPO from Croatia, the Municipality of Varna from Bulgaria, the European Public Law Organisation – EPLO from Greece, the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Works from Cyprus, the Lazio Region from Italy, and 24 other associated partners from the EUROMED area.”

EU donates a Customized Missing Persons Software to the Missing Persons Institute in BiH

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In a significant step towards strengthening the process of locating and identifying missing persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Delegation of European Union to BIH and Embassy of Sweden to BIH have donated essential equipment to the Missing Persons Institute of BiH as part of its continued support to the Institute and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). This donation reflects the EU commitment to supporting the Bosnia and Herzegovina and the ICMP in its efforts to locate and investigate the disappearance of missing persons from the conflicts of the 1990s in line with the rule of law.

 

Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH Ambassador Johann Sattler visited the BiH Missing Persons Institute today to officially hand over the Integrated Data Management System (iDMS), a cutting-edge software solution developed by the ICMP in close cooperation with the Missing Persons Institute of BiH. The ultimate objective was to customize the iDMS to match the Institute’s specific needs and the challenges encountered in safeguarding the Central Record of missing persons as well as ensuring analyses of large amounts of personal and forensic data.

 

The European Union has so far provided 16 million euros to support the ICMP and the BiH authorities to strengthen their capacities in the search and identification of mission persons in BiH.  In addition, with the objective of transferring all the processes to the national authorities, the EU has equipped the DNA state level laboratory and will finance specialized training for the laboratory staff.

 

Furthermore, with EU financial assistance, the ICMP has developed a Case Management database to streamline the processing of unidentified human remains cases in mortuaries across BiH. The Case Management database, a pioneering initiative by ICMP, serves as a central repository for all active NN cases. It is populated with data meticulously gathered during the review of NN cases that was carried out in BiH mortuary facilities from 2013 to 2018. The database not only consolidates this critical information, it facilitates the implementation of recommendations outlined in the NN Review Report, another crucial project funded by the European Union.  It is expected that these efforts will significantly enhance the efficiency of the BiH Missing Persons Institute and the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, leading to the resolution of a higher number of cases and consequently reducing the overall number of missing person cases in BIH.

Bringing the European excellence to Tirana: Memorandum of Understanding signed with College of Europe

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In a dedicated event, held at Europe House in Tirana on Friday 6 October, the European Union took a significant step towards enhancing educational opportunities for Albanian students. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the esteemed College of Europe, opening doors to a world-class education for aspiring Albanian scholars. The agreement formalises and paves the way for the establishment of a College of Europe branch in the Albanian capital.

 

The event was attended by high officials, both from the EU and Albania, including Rector of College of Europe, Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Managing Director of the European Union Angelina Eichhorst, Minister of Education and Sports Ogerta Manastirliu, and Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj. Their collective presence underscored the importance of this collaboration in fostering stronger ties between Albania and the European Union. The memorandum, which will bring for the first time this prestigious institute outside the EU, was signed by the representatives of the Ministry of Education, Tirana Municipality, and College of Europe, in the presence of Commissioner Varhelyi and Ambassador Soreca.

 

The ceremony was attended also by the Young European Ambassadors (YEA) from Albania.  During the event, YEAs had the privilege of meeting with prominent figures such as Olivér Várhelyi, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Luigi Soreca, the EU Ambassador to Albania, and Federica Mogherini, the Rector of the College of Europe. The enthusiastic YEAs conveyed their excitement about this new campus.

 

The College of Europe is renowned for its excellence in educating future European leaders and diplomats. By establishing a presence in Tirana, it offers an excellent opportunity to local students and others from around the world to access top-notch education in a newly founded campus. This development aligns perfectly with the EU’s commitment to support education and skill development in its neighbouring regions.

Albanian YEAs Visit EU4Schools-Funded Project

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On October 2nd, Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) Edona Haklaj and Stjuart Islamaj, from Albania, paid a visit to the “Olsi Lasko” high school, which has been meticulously reconstructed thanks to the #EU4Schools programme. During their visit, Edona and Stjuart had the opportunity to explore the school’s upgraded facilities and engage with the students there. Additionally, they took the opportunity to introduce the YEA Network and shed light on the myriad opportunities that the European Union offers to the region’s young populace. The YEAs also had a valuable exchange with both students and teachers, gaining insights into the transformative impact the project has had on the learning experience. These insights were subsequently shared via Webalkans’ social media channels.

 

The “EU4Schools” initiative is a commendable program funded by the European Union, launched in response to the devastating earthquake that struck Albania on November 26, 2019. This programme is currently being executed through a collaborative effort between UNDP and the Albanian government, providing essential support to citizens across eleven municipalities: Durrës, Kamza, Kavaja, Kruja, Kurbin, Lezha, Mirdita, Rrogozhina, Shijak, Tirana, and Vora. It is worth noting that this program forms a vital component of the European Union’s financial commitment, as declared during the International Donors’ Conference held in Brussels on February 17, 2020. The overarching objective of this initiative is to further bolster local and national governments in their efforts to mitigate social and economic losses, while expediting the recovery process through the renovation and reconstruction of educational facilities.

Launching the Digital for Development Hub for the Western Balkans

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The European Union and its Member States have launched the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub for the EU Neighbouring Countries to step up their regional engagement in the digital field.  The objective of the D4D Hub in the EU Neighbouring Countries will be to increase the impact of the efforts of the EU and its Member States to promote a human-centric digital transformation, driven by people’s needs, fundamental rights, and intersectional challenges to close the digital divide between the EU and its partners.

 

The D4D Hub will serve as a strategic platform for our regional partners to actively engage with the European Union and its Member States, discuss joint priorities in the digital field, and identify concrete opportunities to advance cooperation.

BIRN Journalist Frosina Dimeska Wins EU Investigative Award

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Frosina Dimeska, a journalist at Prizma/BIRN, has won second prize from the European Union for her outstanding investigative journalism in North Macedonia. The awards ceremony took place on September 28 in Skopje.

 

Dimeska’s work exposed a significant scandal involving a controversial Ukrainian figure, Oleksandr Onishchenko, who managed to obtain a North Macedonian passport despite being under sanctions from both the United States and Ukraine, where authorities sought his extradition. The judges recognised the impact of Dimeska’s investigation, leading to the government revoking Onishchenko’s North Macedonian citizenship. However, no individuals have been held accountable for the scandal as of now.

 

In expressing her gratitude, Dimeska stated: “This award serves as motivation for me and is a testament to Prisma editorial team’s commitment to continued in-depth investigative journalism.” First prize went to the documentary Bad Blood, produced by the Investigative Reporting Laboratory IRL. Additionally, “KOD”, a series of video stories aired on TV Telma, secured third place. The awards, presented by EU Ambassador David Geer in Skopje, celebrate exceptional journalistic work produced over the past year.