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Author: WeBalkans

EU Opportunity Week in Serbia Postponed

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The series of panels and info sessions EU Opportunity Week is postponed due to the tragic events from the previous week in Belgrade and Mladenovac.  
It was planned for the Opportunity Week to be held from May 15th to 21st in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš.  
The public will be informed about the new dates and details in the coming days. All applications for individual days of the EU Opportunity Week will also be valid in the new dates.  
The EU Delegation to Serbia previously canceled all events related to the celebration of Europe Day.

EU Delegation Postpones All Europe Day Events and Campaigns in Serbia

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EU Delegation postpones all Europe Day events and campaigns in Serbia next week – time is not to celebrate, but to mourn and grieve says EU Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret. All Europe Day celebrations and campaign organised by the EU Delegation next week will be postponed to a later date.

 

Every 9 May, Europe celebrates Europe Day, marking the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration made on 9th of May 1950. This declaration is considered as the founding moment of the European Union, when the vision of a Europe of peace and solidarity, built on cooperation, democracy and human rights was made.

 

“The European Union and its values, and the cooperation between Serbia and the European Union until it fully becomes a member is something to cherish and celebrate. But in light of the tragedies that happened in the last few days in Serbia that took the lives of too many innocent people, children, school staff… – we consider that times are not to celebrate, but to mourn and grieve. In these hard times, our hearts and thoughts go to the victims who lost their lives in the tragic events and their relatives and friends. There will be other times to celebrate the future and the opportunities we have together”, said Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret, the Head of European Union Delegation to Serbia.

 

The EU Delegation has also decided to postpone its TV / Social Media and Billboard campaign “EU Je Uz Tebe”, promoting the opportunities that the EU offers to Serbia citizens, organisations and businesses. Instead, we will dedicate the already-rented billboards to express unity and solidarity with Serbia in these difficult times.

Joint purchasing of gas with the EU – a possibility for Serbia

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Energy prices are constantly changing, which brings great uncertainty and destabilises the market. Rising prices and inflation affect the standard of living in Europe, and smart consumption planning and joint procurement of energy are in focus.

 

“For the first time in the history of the EU, we should do our best and buy gas jointly. We know that gas will play the role of a necessary transition fuel for some time”, says European Commission Vice President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič.

 

The European Union launched the “AggregateEU” platform, as a response to the challenges of the prolonged energy crisis and the destabilisation of the energy market due to the war in Ukraine. The platform enables the joint procurement of gas and hydrogen in the future, from different sources, under the most favourable possible conditions. Serbia, as part of the Energy Community has the opportunity to participate and in this way increase the diversification of its energy sources.

 

Through the digital platform, suppliers can report sales volumes of gas. In the next year, Brussels will organise joint gas procurement every two months. So far, more than 80 companies have registered, and Serbia can take advantage of this opportunity in the coming period.

 

The countries of the European Union have been given the task of filling up to 90 percent of gas storages by November. For the first joint tranche, global suppliers must submit bids by May 9th, and Russian companies and Russian gas have been eliminated from the competition. The goal of the Brussels energy solidarity is to provide gas from other sources on time for the next heating season at the most favourable prices.

Europe Day celebrated in Bar

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The Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, in partnership with the Municipality of Bar, celebrated Europe Day on the promenade in Bar, with the placement of the flower carpet and the EU Fair. Embassies of EU member states were presented at the fair as well as projects funded by the EU and the Municipality of Bar. The ceremony started with a minute of silence for the victims of tragic events in Serbia. In honour of the innocent victims, the Montenegrin opera diva Tamara Radjenovic sang the traditional Montenegrin song “Još ne sviće rujna zora.”

 

After performing the anthems of Montenegro and Europe, the EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Oana Cristina Popa, said that the decision to celebrate the holiday of a united Europe in Bar was made because it is a unique and diverse place that brings together different cultures and communities, just like the European Union.

 

“I am pleased that we have gathered here in Bar to celebrate Europe Day. We have prepared a rich program and various activities for you. However, in light of the tragedy that struck Serbia and made the whole region mourne, we had to postpone some of them,” said EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Popa.

 

Referring to the ceremony in Bar, the Ambassador expressed gratitude to the local business community for supporting the creation of the flower carpet, whose 24,000 plants will be planted in the city’s green areas. The Tourist Organization of Bar, as well as the companies: 2. decembar, Gold, Racc, Allegra Cruises, and Kalamper, supported the making of the flower carpet.

“Coffee with Ambassadors” marks the beginning of Europe Day celebration

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ABBA, Pippi Longstocking, aromas, and tastes of Sweden filled the atmosphere at Europe House.Young EU ambassadors, students of the Faculty of Political Science and Faculty of Economics, accompanied by young engineers, had the opportunity to sit for a “coffee break” at Europe House with the Ambassador of Sweden, Annika Ben David, and learn more about her beautiful country.

“Coffee with Ambassadors” is the name of a new activity, which was organised for the first time in honour of Europe Day with the Ambassador of Sweden, who is currently presiding over the Council of the EU. “This is a great way for young and future leaders to learn about EU member states and the roles they have. I believe that the best way is to have an open dialogue so that young people can ask all the questions they need answers to,” said the Ambassador of the EU to Montenegro, Oana Cristina Popa.

EU supports the development of Kosovo; plays a crucial role in promoting dialogue and reconciliation

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“The European Union is not just a political and economic union. It is a peacebuilding project, created in the aftermath of World War II, with an aim to promote peace, stability and prosperity in Europe,” said on 9 May in Pristina the EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, as he took part in the Europe Day celebrations activities. “It is paramount that the negotiations on normalization of relations between both Parties continue under the auspices of the EU-facilitated Dialogue and that it brings lasting solutions for the benefit of the population on the ground, all while building bridges between communities,” he added.

 

Though challenging, last year brought several breakthroughs including the visa-free travel for Kosovans in the Schengen zone as of 1 January 2024.“Unresolved issue of visa-liberalisation has been a dark cloud over the EU-Kosovo relations for the past decade, and it gives me great joy to say that as of 1 January 2024, Kosovans will no longer need visas for short-term touristic visits to the Schengen zone,” noted Szunyog, thanking Czech and Swedish Presidencies of the Council of the European Union for their contribution in this regard.

 

Another miles stone are the three IPA financing agreements signed between the EU and Kosovo, including the Energy Support Package, resulting in the EU providing to Kosovo more than EUR 200 million as direct financial assistance, just over the last several months. “The overall EU’s financial assistance provide to Kosovo under IPA, i.e. the EU’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, from 2007 to date, has surpassed 1.4 billion euros. It is being utilised to help Kosovo, among other, to develop its economy and infrastructure, improve education and environmental protection, and align its legislation with the EU acquis,” said Szunyog.

EU in Kosovo: 11 years old Ledion Halitaj is 2023 European of the Year

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11 years old classical guitar player Ledion Halitaj is this year’s winner of the European of the Year Award. The EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, made this announcement last night during the Europe Day reception in Pristina, noting that Ledion is “a true role model and a beacon of hope.”This is the eighth year in a row that the EU issues the Award in Kosovo to a person that has, over the last twelve months, contributed the most to the promotion of European values.

 

While the EU Family in Kosovo proposed the nominees, it is the people of Kosovo who chose the winner, by voting on the EU in Kosovo’s social media channels. The five nominees dedicated their lives and work to empowering women in business, community affairs, and sports, promoting multiculturalism, and the active engagement of young people in Kosovo’s cultural life.

 

“It gives me great pleasure to be giving 2023 European of the Year Award to the young Ledion Halitaj. The fact that most Kosovans voted for him in a competition with Ms Đorić, Ms Jashari, Mr Kuka, and Mr Syla, proves that the society looks forward to its young generation to take the country forward, and the EU will be here to support them in advancing Kosovo on its EU integration path,” said Ambassador Szunyog. “I also want to acknowledge this and previous years’ winners and nominees for the Award for their contribution to making Kosovo a better place to live in,” he added.

 

The text of Ledion Halitaj’s online nomination read: Ledion (11) is a talented and well-known classical guitarist. Within two years, he won 15 awards at international festivals in Kosovo and across Europe, as well as four public awards. He won his first prize at the International Guitar Festival in Transylvania, Romania, when he was only nine. Ledion has also done a master class with world-class guitarists and is an example for all other young and aspiring musicians.

Europe Day in BiH – Always in the Heart of Europe

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“Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the heart of Europe” is the powerful message resonating across Bosnia and Herzegovina, in celebration of the longstanding ties between the EU and BiH, on the first Europe Day BiH’s is celebrating as an EU candidate country. Numerous heritage sites across the country were illuminated with the EU flag – Kastel in Banja Luka, Stari Most in Mostar, the Old Fortress in Travnik, Jajce Waterfall, and Brčko’s City Hall – as beacons of our common heritage and values, representing unity.

 

In Sarajevo, thousands of citizens gathered by the Eternal Flame, in front the EU’s new centre for events, discussions and exhibitions for the public – Europe House. It was a celebration to remember with energetic performances by Helem Nejse, Zoster, Laka and Lela, Aida Aršić Mušanović, Marija Šestić and Nedim Bašić. The audience was welcomed by Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the Delegation of the EU to BiH and EU Special Representative in BiH, and Sarajevo City Mayor Benjamina Karić, who joined a joyful audience of diplomats, local officials, cultural representatives and youth, in underlining that BiH’s place is in the EU.

 

“On Europe Day, we remember the importance of choosing partnership over enmity, diversity over intolerance, compromise over stalemate, and alliance over isolation. We must fight for a more secure future, a more united future, a more just future. A future for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans in the European Union,” emphasised Ambassador Sattler during his speech in Europe House, reminding the audience of the powerful symbolism of the Eternal Flame building being home to Sarajevo’s new Europe House – “Here, outside this building, the Eternal Flame burns, commemorating all those who died as a result of the inhumanity of fascism and Europe’s descent into the savagery of World World II. It is therefore fitting that it should also be the home of Sarajevo’s new Europe House. The EU is more than anything a project for peace. 73 years ago today, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman made his famous Declaration that war on our continent should not only be unthinkable but materially impossible. Out of Schuman’s Declaration, the EU was born. It is this, as well as the victory of human values over the darkness of fascism, that we celebrate on Europe Day.”

 

Activities are organised by the European Union in BiH across the country. Cultural, educational, informative and entertaining activities for all ages are being implemented with the citizens and for the citizens, while we underline our connections through good, and through respect and dedication to a more prosperous tomorrow for future generations.

EIB Vice-President reiterates support for sustainable key infrastructure investments, helping Kosovo build a resilient economy

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During the visit of an EIB Global delegation to Pristina, European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova reaffirmed the EU bank’s commitment to supporting Kosovo* in line with EU priorities and the objectives of the EU Global Gateway strategy. At the core of the Bank’s effort is the acceleration of the green transition, sustainable connectivity and digital transformation.

 

The EIB Vice-President held bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Minister of Finance, Labour and Transfers Hekuran Murati and the Head of EU Office in Kosovo Tomáš Szunyog to discuss how the Bank can contribute towards a more resilient economy via EIB Global, its arm focusing on activities outside the European Union. She underlined support for the development of sustainable transport infrastructure, renewable energy projects, water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as resilient education and health systems.

 

n 2022, EIB Global provided €2.1 million in grants in the form of technical assistance to get new projects off the ground in the areas of energy efficiency in the heating sector and the higher education. More recently, the EU bank provided a €38 million loan for the rehabilitation of the 148 km Route 10 railway line, bringing financial support for the modernisation of Kosovo’s railways to €80 million. Going forward, the Bank intends to contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy by supporting the development of a 100 MW solar power plant in the Obiliq area, as well as to strengthening connectivity by supporting sustainable transport infrastructure.

 

Since 2020, the EIB has unlocked €108.8 million under the Team Europe initiative to facilitate Kosovo’s social and economic recovery. The funds were allocated to the railway sector, small and medium enterprises, and the construction of wastewater plants in Mitrovica and Gjilan.

YEAs at Europe Day 2023 in Brussels

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Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) from the Western Balkans were invited to participate in this year’s Europe Day celebration event in Brussels, Belgium, alongside other YEAs from the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood and Southern Neighbourhood. A total of twelve Young European Ambassadors from the Western Balkans had the opportunity to interact with their peers and officials from the EU and neighbouring regions, as well as take part in various events.

 

The YEAs engaged in discussions with different units within the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), allowing them to gain insights into the projects and areas of focus within DG NEAR. Furthermore, they had the chance to meet fellow YEAs from the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood and Southern Neighbourhood. Additionally, they visited the College of Europe University in Brugge, where they engaged in discussions with the university’s rector, Ms Federica Mogherini, regarding the role of youth and academia. On the final day of the activities, they organized a range of diverse events during the Open Day in Berlaymont, showcasing the Western Balkans region in a creative manner.