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Author: WeBalkans

Call for EU Investigative Journalism Award 2023 is now closed

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Journalists from the Western Balkans and Türkiye submitted more than 260 applications to the Call for EU Investigative Journalism Award 2023. A total of 267 applications have been submitted for the EU Investigative Journalism Award 2023, encompassing both national and regional categories. These applications came from seven different countries. This prestigious award honours exceptional investigative stories published in the preceding calendar year. From the pool of received applications, the evaluation jury will choose the top three stories from each of the seven countries, resulting in 21 selected stories. This selection process ensures that the most outstanding works from each country are recognized and acknowledged. This year, the EU Award has introduced an exciting addition in the form of a regional award. This category seeks to recognise the finest stories that transcend national boundaries and address issues of significance to the entire region. By creating this new category, the award aims to inspire journalists to broaden their perspective and tackle matters that have a broader impact.

 

A separate evaluation jury will be established to evaluate the regional award submissions. This dedicated panel will review all entries and select the three stories that have the most substantial regional impact. This initiative will foster a sense of collaboration among journalists and encourage them to delve into regional matters that affect a wider audience. In the past four years, 84 investigative stories from the Western Balkans and Türkiye produced by 124 journalists were awarded. These stories contributed to resolving cases of power misuse, corruption, organised crime, pollution of the ecosystem, and other wrongdoings. The EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2023 is part of the project “Strengthening Quality Journalism in Western Balkans and Türkiye II”. This aims to recognise and promote outstanding achievements in investigative journalism as well as improve the visibility of quality journalism in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

EU funding opportunities for private sector in Serbia

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More than 1,800 participants attended the first EU Opportunity Week in Serbia, from 21 to 26 June 2023. It was the first time all EU programmes and funds open to Serbians were gathered in one place to share application procedures and opportunities. A further 3,500 participants followed online and interacted with programme representatives in the dedicated online space. The event, jointly organised by the Delegation of the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, encompassed 120 information sessions and panels over five days and in three cities: Belgrade, Niš, and Novi Sad. It covered the full range of EU support in the economy and business, education, youth and sports, culture, media and civil society, local development, and green transition, as well as agriculture.

 

In a video message delivered at the event’s opening, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyihighlighted the significant assistance provided by the EU to Serbia, including through the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. Mobilising up to €30 billion investments, as a combination of grants, preferential loans and guarantees, this substantial package supports investments in sustainable transport, clean energy, environment and climate, digital future, human capital and the private sector. The Serbian Minister of European Integration, Tanja Miščević, and EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufretsigned an agreement at the event on new donations through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) amounting to €200 million, of which €162 million in EU grants. The majority of the EU-provided funds will be directed towards the environmental sector, with over €72 million allocated for enhancing infrastructure, bolstering institutional capacity in environmental protection, and effectively managing and mitigating climate change in line with Green Agenda.

RCC and DG NEAR organize a high-level conference on cybersecurity in the Western Balkans

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The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in cooperation with DG NEAR, organised a two-day high-level conference on cybersecurity in the Western Balkans, on 28-29 June 2023 in Brussels.  “Cyber-attacks are borderless – a joint regional approach to ensure cybersecurity in the region, in line with EU standards, has become a must. Western Balkan economies need robust legal frameworks that facilitate cooperation and information sharing amongst themselves and with EU as well. However, a high level of political commitment to cybersecurity reforms comes first. Region needs to work together. Education and awareness are equally vital components of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as well as programmes and strategies that support digitalisation of business, including e-commerce, which we should be developing rapidly,” said RCC Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu, in her keynote speech at the panel dedicated to progress, challenges and needs in reaching a resilient cyberspace in the Western Balkans.  
RCC has recently joined 110 members of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) to continue strengthening regional and European cyber security capacity building. The RCC is advocating for EU to enable integration of the Western Balkans in the work of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). This will mark another application of “phasing in” and contribute to an accelerated alignment of WB with the EU Single Market standards and practices. Additionally, inclusion of Western Balkans in EU Cybersecurity Incident Review Mechanism to assess and review specific cybersecurity incidents would enable an enhanced response to cyber-attacks in the Western Balkans and build capacities for timely response.
  The participants of the conference discussed advancing the Western Balkans on their path to greater cyber resilience to cyber threats. Ministers and other representatives of Western Balkans governments and public institutions, donors, international organisations, implementing partners, private sector, NGOs and academia exchanged views on the outstanding challenges and needs in the field of cybersecurity and explored ways to best address them through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. The exchanges focused on strengthening regional cooperation, and improving information sharing and exchange of knowledge and experience amongst the Western Balkan economies and within the global cyber community.

Workshop on recycling presented in secondary school in Šid

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On May 30, in the courtyard of the “Sava Šumanović” Gymnasium in Šid, a workshop on recycling was held as part of the “O-DVA-JA-MO” Household Waste Separation Project, which is being implemented by the Municipality of Šid and the Public Utility Company “Standard” Šid. The director of PUC “Standard” Šid, Milenka Subić, welcomed all those present and gave details about the participation of this municipality in the ” O-DVA-JA-MO” project:”This is one of a series of events that we are making, the first event we had was when we received the truck and equipment from this project and started implementing it, the next events concern informing our fellow citizens about the importance of separation and recycling. We thank the high school and these young people who understood this problem and who, within their school eco sections, by working on presentations such as this one, are also contributing in raising awareness of their fellow citizens.”

 

The “O-DVA-JA-MO” project is implemented in 17 municipalities in Serbia with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, the European Union, and the Embassy of Sweden. The goal of the project is to recycle part of the waste generated in households, in order to reduce the amount that ends up in landfills and increase the recycling rate in these municipalities to 15%.

€3.6 million for cooperation between Serbia and North Macedonia

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Support for healthcare and social and cultural inclusion, as well as the promotion of tourism, are the scope of the new cross-border cooperation program between Serbia and North Macedonia, financed by the European Union. The trilateral financing agreement was signed today in Niš, within the EU Opportunity Week, by Minister for European Integration Tanja Miščević, Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia Bojan Maričić and the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret. This is the second cross-border cooperation program between these two countries. The total budget of the program adopted by the European Commission on June 3, 2022 amounts to €9.7 million, of which €8.4 million are co-financed by the EU. This is more than double the funds compared to the previous seven-year financial perspective. The Trilateral Agreement corresponds to two-year allocations in the total value of €3.6 million, which will be supplemented at a later stage of the Program in order to be able to use the total EU funds intended for the entire program.

 

It is expected that, thanks to the Program, social and health care services for vulnerable groups will be more accessible to citizens, as well as that there will be more cultural content for all residents of the territory where the Program is implemented. The development of cross-border tourism and the protection of cultural and natural heritage on both sides of the border will significantly increase the number of tourist visits and the length of stay of tourists in the border area. The area of this cross-border cooperation program includes the Jablanica and Pčinja Districts in Serbia and the Northeast region and part of the Skopje region in North Macedonia, with about 850,000 inhabitants in both countries.

Queering at Europe House, it happened

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An evening dedicated to queer art, titled “Queering, it happened,” was organised at Europe House to commemorate Pride Month. What does queer activism art in Montenegro look like? Do you know who wrote the first lesbian novel in Montenegro? Europe House and the LGBTIQ association Queer Montenegro have the answers to these questions. Non-governmental organisations played an important role in shaping the queer cultural and social reality in Montenegro.

 

The exhibition “Our Stories” presents the stories of the transgender, gender variant, and intersex community through different methods and tools, empowering the engaged and alternative art scene.The exhibition, which features the works of over 15 authors, including works created through workshops by the non-governmental organisations ŠkArt and Spektra Association, also includes individual works by artists from the community, the Gender Attack performance, as well as the personal items of those who have gone through the transition process.

Rural Tourism for Stronger Local Communities

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Journalists from Montenegrin electronic media visited non-governmental organisations in northern Montenegro, which, as part of the ReLOaD initiative, organised improved offers in rural tourism. Together with representatives from the European Delegation and UNDP, they visited new hiking trails in Bjelasica and Sinjajevina, a medicinal plant nursery, and a practical beekeeping facility near Kolasin. They also participated in workshops on solar cooking and natural cosmetics production in Pljevlja.

 

Through the ReLOaD2 grants, 42 non-governmental organisations in Montenegro implemented projects in the past year that truly enhance the quality of life in local communities. A hiking trail was opened in Vranjina, a digital tourist guide was created for Budva, the first Social Club for people with disabilities was established in Niksic, a Pensioners Club was launched in Andrijevica, landfills were removed in Zagarac, a documentary dedicated to the palm trees of Boka Bay was filmed, and much more. During this study trip, media representatives were presented with the work of non-governmental organisations whose ideas contribute to reducing the migration of citizens from the north to other cities and countries.

EU approves €303 million in grants for four new flagship infrastructure projects in BiH

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The European Commission announced on 30 June a new financial package to support 14 investment flagships in transport, energy, environment, human capital, and private sector support in the Western Balkans. Of these, four infrastructure projects are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the country will also benefit from four regional projects. The 14 new investment flagships in the Western Balkans are worth a total of €2.1 billion. This includes €528 million in EU grants from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III), additional bilateral contributions from EU Member States and Norway, loans from international financing institutions, and contributions from the economies of the Western Balkans.  
The investments are made through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), which is a joint financial platform of the European Commission, financial organisations, EU Member States, and Norway aimed at enhancing cooperation in public and private sectors investments for the region’s socio-economic development and contributing to the European integration of the Western Balkans. The WBIF is the main financial vehicle for implementing the EU’s ambitious Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. This is the fifth investment package under the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. Projects have been prepared in close cooperation with the Western Balkans partners and the international financial institutions to accelerate the European perspective of the region.

North Macedonia joins the LIFE programme for environment and climate action

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Yesterday afternoon, in Brussels, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius and the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning of North Macedonia, Kaja Sukova, signed an agreement on North Macedonia’s association to the LIFE programme for environment and climate action. North Macedonia is the fourth non-EU country to join the programme after Iceland, Ukraine and Moldova. By joining the LIFE programme, North Macedonia will have the opportunity to benefit from LIFE’s support for mobilising public and private resources for climate action, biodiversity protection, circular economy and clean energy transition.

 

Commissioner Sinkevičius said: “The association of North Macedonia to LIFE is an opportunity to strengthen our joint action to tackle climate change, address pollution, boost the clean energy transition, achieve a circular economy, and protect and restore biodiversity. Closer cooperation will benefit citizens, businesses, and civil society in North Macedonia, and contribute to a greener, more sustainable continent in line with the European Green Deal objectives.”

 

Public and private organisations from North Macedonia will be able to receive financial support for projects on environment and climate action, such as for example to increase energy efficiency, clean polluted areas, improve the management of water resources, and support the development, monitoring and enforcement of laws similar to the ones in EU.

Applicants from North Macedonia can submit proposals under the LIFE calls for proposals launched in 2023.

Erasmus+: New funding for European Universities alliances boosts cooperation in higher education

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Today, the Commission announced the results of the 2023 Erasmus+ call for the European Universities initiative, which provides support to alliances of higher education institutions. These European University alliances are bringing together a new generation of Europeans who are able to study and work in different European countries, different languages, and across sectors and academic disciplines. Thanks to these alliances, students can obtain a degree by combining studies in several European countries, which contributes to the international competitiveness of higher education institutions in Europe.  
With today’s results, adding seven new European Universities alliances, the total of 50 alliances now involve more than 430 higher education institutions in 35 countries. These comprise all EU Member States and Iceland, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Türkiye.  
The students of these institutions can benefit from a unique transnational and innovative educational offer, allowing them to acquire essential skills and competences for the future. Furthermore, by partnering with almost 1 700 associated partners among NGO’s, enterprises, local and regional authorities, the 50 European Universities alliances bring broad-scale innovation to Europe’s regions.  
With a record overall budget of €402.2 million from the Erasmus+ programme[1] for this call, each alliance receives a budget of up to €14.4 million for four years.  
The 2023 call opened the possibility to higher education institutions from Western Balkans countries, not associated to the Erasmus+ programme to participate as full partners in the call. As a result, higher education institutions from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro have joined the initiative, on top of those from North Macedonia and Serbia.  
As last year, the alliances can involve higher education institutions from Bologna Process countries as associated partners. Under the 2023 call, close to 30 higher education institutions from Ukraine have also joined the alliances.