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New BioSense Institute building opens for scientists and start-ups in Serbia

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A new BioSense Institute building was officially opened today in Novi Sad. Benefiting from a prime location at the entrance of the city centre, it will offer almost 7 000 m2 of state-of-the-art facilities for scientific research and business ventures. As part of the University of Novi Sad, the premises provide high-end laboratories and workplaces for life sciences studies for around 250 scientists. Startups will have a dedicated area for the development of innovative solutions in the fields of agriculture and biotechnology. These new facilities, with their highly sophisticated equipment, will reinforce the institute’s scientific potential and transformation into a European centre of excellence that is capable of conducting the most advanced research projects applicable on a global scale.  
This project worth €34 million was financed by €14 million in EU grants via the ANTARES project, €20 million from the Serbian government and a European Investment Bank (EIB) loan of €18 million. The opening ceremony was attended by the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Serbian ministers Tanja Miščević (European integration), Jelena Begović (science, technological development and innovation), Jelena Tanasković (agriculture, forestry and water management), Mihailo Jovanović (IT), Marko Blagojević (public investment) and Branko Ružić (education), as well as President of the Government of Vojvodina Igor Mirović, representatives of the EU Delegation in Serbia and EIB Global.

Giaufret and Đedović in Niš – visit to the gas interconnector

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The Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović and the Head of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, visited today the works on the construction of the Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector.

 

“I am glad to see how this project is progressing. The EU continues to be committed to diversifying gas supply in Serbia and increasing the resilience and competitiveness of its energy system. We eagerly await the gas that will flow through this gas pipeline during the next heating season. The EU also offered Serbia to participate in the joint procurement of gas with the EU member states,” said Ambassador Giaufret.

 

The length of the gas interconnector on the territory of Serbia is 109 km, and the capacity is 1.8 billion cubic meters in the direction towards Serbia. Works on the construction of the Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector started in February 2022, and completion is planned for the last quarter of this year. In addition to greater security of supply and diversification of gas routes and suppliers, the new gas pipeline will also enable further development of the distribution and supply gas pipeline network in the south of Serbia.

 

The construction of the Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector is financed by EU grants, which amounted to EUR 49.6 million, EIB loan in the amount of EUR 25 million with national co-financing. Also, the EU supports the construction of a gas interconnector section on the territory of Bulgaria, which is 60 km long, with a total of EUR 33.6 million.

Ambassador Sattler and Bihac University Students Discussed Contribution of Young BiH Expats

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Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the Delegation of the European Union and Special Representative of the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina, visited the University of Bihać and discussed with students of the Faculty of Economics the positive role that young people who lived outside of BiH can have in initiating development of the country, should they decide to return.

 

“Young experts who decided to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina, after gaining education or professional experience abroad, have the potential to play an important role in the economic growth of Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing new ideas, skills and perspectives. Living and working abroad can be a transformative experience that helps individuals grow both personally and professionally. By returning home, they can bring new knowledge and use it to create positive change in their local communities,” said Ambassador Sattler.

 

Panel discussion was organised as part of the European Union’s project “Generation Change” focused on students from public universities. The other members of the panel at today’s discussion were Damijan Sedar, Ambassador of Slovenia to BiH, Dijana Vuković, associate professor of Faculty of Economics in Bihać and Dino Kišmić, Founder/CEO of IDK Studio software & web development company.

 

In the past two months, Ambassador Sattler, together with ambassadors of EU Member States, visited public universities throughout BiH and talked with students about various topics that are important to young people, but also important for the country’s progress towards the European Union. During the past five events held in Zenica, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Mostar and Bihać, the Ambassador met with more than 600 students. The sixth and the last event is planned for late April with the students from the University of Banja Luka.

The European Union donated valuable medical equipment to the Cantonal Hospital “Dr. Irfan Ljubijankić” in Bihać

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At the handover ceremony of a valuable donation provided by the European Union, the Head of the EU Delegation and the EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Johann Sattler, on 13 April 2023 officially handed over a cystoscope to the Children’s Surgery Department of the Cantonal Hospital “Dr. Irfan Ljubijankić” in Bihać.

 

The cystoscope, worth around 30,000 KM, will be used in the treatment of the youngest patients who had to be previously transported to Sarajevo for cystoscopy examinations due to the lack of this instrument in the Una-Sana Canton. Except for the Department of Pediatric Surgery, the cystoscope will also be used in the Department of General Surgery.

 

Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Hercegovina Ambassador Johann Sattler said that the donation of this equipment is part of a larger project worth €2 million to help social cohesion in local communities that have received large numbers of migrants.

 

The equipment was provided through a project “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Enhancing Social Cohesion in Communities Hosting People on the Move”, funded by the European Union and implemented in the Una-Sana and Sarajevo Canton by the International Organization for Migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina (IOM).

MADE OF US: An incredible adventure has just begun!

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WeBalkans and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) are proud to announce the launch of the “Made of Us – An EU-Western Balkans road trip” awareness campaign which aims to promote a positive image of the EU to the people of the Western Balkans, and vice versa. The campaign format features 12 young EU and Western Balkan vloggers as the campaign’s protagonists who will travel across the region in pairs, consisting of one EU and one WB vlogger. Each of the pairs will travel in one of the Western Balkans Six, and share their experiences along the way via the creation of their own online content.

 

The EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Mrs. Oana Cristina Popa, the Italian Ambassador, Ms.Andreina Marsella, and other speakers spoke at the campaign launch event, which was held at Europe House in Podgorica. The event featured EU and Balkan inspired food, music, and a networking with personalities from previous WeBalkans campaigns, as well as local Montenegrin social media influencers.

 

The vloggers covering the Montenegro leg of the journey, Emir Cirikovi from Montenegro and Alice Franchi from Italy, were also at the event in person and held speeches together with the other ten Made of Us vloggers who joined online. After the launch event, they immediately set off on their journey by car.

 

The campaign will last a total of six weeks between 18 April and 30 May, with each week focusing on one of the WB6 partners. The vloggers will cover a total of 18 EU-supported projects, 6000 km by car, and meet many interesting and inspiring local personalities along the way, all the while showcasing the natural scenery, extraordinary landmarks and unique cultural heritage that the Western Balkans have to offer. The twelve vloggers will record their experiences using their own equipment and social media channels, translating the journey into high-quality social media and web content, photos and videos, which will be disseminated on the WeBalkans channels.

 

Don’t miss a second of this exciting journey – start following WeBalkans and all of the vloggers on Instagram now!

Addressing Challenges Faced by Children with Disabilities in the Western Balkans

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An EU funded project supports new assessment system for children with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 2018, UNICEF released a report titled “Everybody Counts,” which revealed significant challenges faced by children with disabilities in the Western Balkans. The report, funded by the EU, emphasised that despite the efforts of governments in the region, children with disabilities encountered various obstacles, such as limited access to early identification and intervention programmes, entrenched social discrimination and stigma, high financial costs for families, lack of protection from violence and abuse, and more. The report’s most striking finding was that society systematically excluded children with disabilities from birth. The report called on governments to take action, which they did to a limited extent.

On the other hand, with EU support, UNICEF launched projects to address this issue. One such project, implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, focused on the evaluation and referral of children with disabilities. The project’s goal was to improve the system, which previously relied on professionals making independent decisions about the child’s needs and development trajectory. The new approach, introduced by the project, places families and the child at the forefront.

“Our goal is a humane approach, and I’m pleased that we have parents who have chosen this method. We concentrate on the child, family, professionals, and community. I hope that our efforts will be beneficial.”

Darko Kobetić, a rehabilitation professor, UNICEF consultant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and author of “Analysis of Policies and Practices in the Area of Assessment and Referral of Children with Disabilities at the FBiH Level,” has been involved in the development of a new assessment system since its inception. He states, “Our goal is a humane approach, and I’m pleased that we have parents who have chosen this method. We concentrate on the child, family, professionals, and community. I hope that our efforts will be beneficial.”

The new assessment system is entirely focused on the child and the family, with all relevant data gathered about each child from all stakeholders involved in their growth and development, including parents, speech therapists, educational rehabilitators, and physical therapists. Furthermore, unlike before, members of multi-sectoral professional bodies coordinate the implementation and work on creating tailored support plans for each participating child. The emphasis is on empowering the child and family, determining the child’s abilities, needs, and interests. Initial feedback from parents has been positive.

Martina, a mother of four-year-old Noa, shares her positive experience with the new assessment system: “The previous way of assessment was stressful because my child may not have been in the mood that day and could not show anything. I had to bring him in for the assessment two or three times, and it was very upsetting. You can’t determine anything in 10 minutes. What is important for me is to see Noa making progress, and we should get the best out of him. He has made progress, and it should be acknowledged. I believe that he can achieve a lot, and we should work with him.”

“In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a strong focus on diagnosis, and the assessment’s primary objective was to identify the child’s problem type, which was the end of the assessment process. Shifting the focus to the child’s interests and needs, which is also a shift from a medical to a human rights paradigm, is the most successful element of this project.”

About the project

 Implementation of assessment and referral of children with disabilities is part of the “Mitigation of the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of children and parents in the Western Balkans and Turkey” programme implemented by Unicef and funded by the EU through the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). Through this €5 million programme, 490,000 children and parents across the programme area are expected to have better access to public services that promote early childhood development, education, health, and protection as part of recovery from COVID-19.

According to Darko, the primary goal of the new system is to identify problems early and provide better support plans for families and children to prevent institutionalisation. They create an annual plan for the child and family and update it as their circumstances change. “We also prepare families and children for the transitional period when they have to enrol in kindergarten or primary school, and we also prepare schools for the enrolment of children with disabilities, so that when the child enrols, the schools have a better approach,” explains Darko.

Darko believes that the project’s main impact was changing the perspective and focusing on the child and family’s needs. “In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a strong focus on diagnosis, and the assessment’s primary objective was to identify the child’s problem type, which was the end of the assessment process. Shifting the focus to the child’s interests and needs, which is also a shift from a medical to a human rights paradigm, is the most successful element of this project,” says Darko.

Serbian doctors travel to the EU peacekeeping mission

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The seven-member medical team of the Army of the Republic of Serbia will go to the Central African Republic next week, where they will join the training mission of the European Union and provide medical assistance and support in the implementation of this mission. On this occasion, the EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret ceremonially sent off the members of the Serbian contingent to the Central African Republic, together with the hosts, Lieutenant General Želimir Glišović, head of the Operational Directorate (J-3) and Colonel Mirjana Milenković, head of the Center for Peace Operations, today at the Centre for Peace Operations of the Serbian Armed Forces.

 

The Army of the Republic of Serbia is currently participating in three peacekeeping missions and operations of the European Union. These are: the training missions in Somalia (EUTM SOMALIA) and the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA) with medical teams and medical advisors; operation EUNAVFOR SOMALIA ATALANTA with staff officers; in the operation piece in Rota (Spain), as a staff officer on the command ship (in the Gulf of Aden); and upon request with the World Food Program (WFP) Autonomous Ship Protection Team.

 

Around 5,000 EU military and civilian personnel are currently deployed in missions and operations of the EU’s common foreign and security policy on three continents, working for a more stable world and contributing to a safer Europe. The most recent missions and operations support security in the Central African Republic, enforcement of the United Nations arms embargo on Libya in the Mediterranean Sea, and prevention of piracy near the Horn of Africa.

Conference on protection of journalists: BiH needs more efficient judicial processing of attacks on journalists

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Representatives of judicial institutions, ministries of interior and police bodies and associations of journalists gathered in Banja Luka on 4-5 April 2023 at the Conference “Ensuring systematic and institutional follow-up to cases of threats and violence against journalists and media workers”, organised by the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina in partnership with the OSCE Mission to BiH and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH. 

 

Participants discussed practices for protecting journalists and mechanisms for registering the number of attacks as a step towards implementation of Key Priority 12 from the 2019 Opinion of European Commission on the BiH’s application for EU membership. The Opinion notes that BiH needs to ensure it guarantees freedom of expression and of the media and the protection of journalists, including through ensuring the appropriate judicial follow-up to cases of threats and violence against journalists and media workers.

 

The panels during the conference also reflected on the most recent developments regarding media freedom, especially in the Republika Srpska, that include the adoption of draft changes to Criminal Code of RS towards re-criminalisation of defamation, as well as cases of pressures on journalists, including lack of protection in individual cases. The EU’s position is that proposed legislation in the RS to criminalise defamation would impose unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on independent media and civil society, resulting in a chilling effect on media freedom and freedom of expression, as well as a step backward on the EU path.

“Made of us” – Campaign launch event

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Meet the protagonists of this adventure, as well as the creative team managing the project behind the scenes.
Made of Us is the third regional campaign under the EU Regional Communication Programme for the Western Balkans (WeBalkans.eu), managed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations. Through Made of Us, we want to raise awareness about opportunities created by the EU-Western Balkans partnership. The campaign is narrated by six video bloggers from the Western Balkans, joined by six from the EU, who will travel together in pairs in each of the Western Balkan Six. You will get to explore 18 EU-funded projects and dozens of unique locations through the eyes of these 12 young creatives. In 42 days, they will travel the region covering hundreds of kilometers by car to bring the local stories directly to your screen.
We are very excited to introduce this campaign to you and invite you to save the date in your calendar to join the livestream.

Enhancing Collaboration to Tackle Challenges Faced by Vulnerable Returnees in Serbia

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UNDP and EU Support Local Migration Councils to Aid Returnee Reintegration in Serbia.

Having well-connected platforms where local service providers (public and NGOs) collaborate effectively is essential to providing timely services to returnees coming back to their home communities, whether it’s access to personal documents, healthcare, education, or employment. Despite the Serbian government allocating significant funds from its budget to support vulnerable returnee groups access to these services and programmes has remained a challenge for most vulnerable. Several years ago, Local Migration Councils were established to help returnees navigate through complex bureaucratic processes to access necessary institutional support and services. However, since their establishment, the councils were not very vibrant, leaving the local service network rather fragmented and not fully functional and effective for returnees.

With support from the EU and UNDP, the Local Migration Councils have been re-energized and capacitated to effectively provide integrated and holistic support to returnees. Today, the Local Migration Councils are vibrant platforms where different local stakeholders – city administration, police, Centre for Social Work, local employment office, local Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, Red Cross, and CSOs – regularly convene, coordinate and work together effectively to address returnee challenges. The Local Migration Councils have a cross-sectoral approach, ensuring that local institutions and providers are connected and accessible to returnees, making it easier for returnees to access employment opportunities, education, and healthcare services.   By mapping complex challenges faced by returnees, identifying systemic bottlenecks and finding (often innovative) solutions to address returnee challenges, migration councils are system solutions and connectors between national policy makers, local (public and NGO) service providers.

“In previous years, all actors at the local level worked separately to solve issue of returnees. Through the Local Migration Council, all these different actors became connected within a single network.” – explains Ljiljana Mihajlovic, member of Novi Sad Local Migration Council and Director of the Provincial Office for Roma Inclusion.“

The assistance was provided under the EU-funded project “Strengthening National and Local Systems to Support Effective Socio-economic Integration of Returnees in the Western Balkans.” As part of this project, the UNDP is aiding three local governments – Novi Sad, Valjevo, and Bujanovac – in activating, or in some cases reactivating, their Local Migration Councils. The project also provides capacity building support of public service providers and local NGOs to provide holistic support and streamline access of returnees to local level services, and to introduce new services addressing returnees specific needs. This forms part of UNDP’s collaborative efforts with partners to experiment and implement innovative, system-wide solutions for socio-economic reintegration of vulnerable groups of returnees, particularly Roma.

There are a number of vital roles that the Local Migration Councils play in effectively reintegrating vulnerable returnees. One of these roles is scanning the needs of returnees and connecting actors for providing holistic solutions.  For most returnees across the Western Balkans economies one of the biggest challenges is lack of formal jobs, majority of returnees earning for life through informal jobs. However, there are other critical challenges that returnees face, explains Ljiljana Mihajlovic, Director of the Office for Roma Inclusion of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and a member of the Local Migration Council in Novi Sad, Serbia.

In Novi Sad, the largest informal Roma settlement in the city is Veliki Rit, where most returnees reside. Alongside poor infrastructure and substandard living conditions, there is no provision for registering a home address in Veliki Rit. As a result, returnees are unable to acquire personal documents, and without identification, they are ineligible for social protection. To address this urgent issue, the Local Migration Council in Novi Sad identified a temporary, short-term solution of registering returnees at a temporary local address, enabling them to access vital services promptly. Meanwhile, the Local Migration Council is actively working towards a long-term solution. “We are working on establishing procedures and a local network that will assist returnees in obtaining personal documents,” says Ljiljana. Although the process requires coordination between many entities and multiple procedures, the Local Migration Council is taking the lead in seeking a solution for returnees.

The Local Migration Councils also play a leading role in the formulation and implementation of Local Action Plans(LAPs). The LAPs are strategic and action documents that local governments adopt along with budgets to ensure that necessary actions addressing needs are put into action. The project provided expert support to the local migration council in Novi Sad and two other municipalities in preparing their Local Action Plans.

“I would like to emphasise that this is the first time these institutions have come together to work on the returnee priorities and challenges specifically and in a holistic manner. In Western Balkans and in our case in Serbia, this is a significant step towards ensuring that returnees receive the support they require to thrive in their home communities.”

About the project

The Reintegration of Returnees in the Western Balkans project is focused on addressing key barriers for socio-economic reintegration of vulnerable returnees in the Western Balkans, specifically in Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. The project is part of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) II Multi-Country Action, EU support to Fundamental Rights of Roma Community, and Reintegration of Returnees, entrusted to UNDP, World Bank, and the Council of Europe.

In the instance of Novi Sad, apart from the challenge posed by the absence of a home address, few other pressing priorities were identified to address the needs of returnees. One of the identified priorities is to set up a one-stop-shop service centre near the Veliki Rit settlement, so that services are brought closer to returnees. It is of importance for Roma and returnees to have easy and speedy access to different services through this centre.  Priorities that have been identified have been included in Novi Sad’s LAP, along with a proposed budget to implement them.  For example, in this service centre, support for enrolment to schools of returnee children and learning assistance to returnee children is provided,  which are vital for preventing school-drop outs and contributing to enhanced education outcomes and reintegration of returnee children.

Bogdanka Tasev Perinovic, Project Manager at UNDP Serbia, explains that local migration councils play a significant role in ensuring that returnees can successfully reintegrate into their home communities and lead fulfilling lives. By providing assistance and support to returnees, promoting social inclusion, and monitoring and assessing the reintegration process, the local migration councils ensure that returnees have the necessary support to thrive in their home communities. “I would like to emphasise that this is the first time these institutions have come together to workon the returnee priorities and challenges specifically and in a holistic manner. In Western Balkans and in our case in Serbia, this is a significant step towards ensuring that returnees receive the support they require to thrive in their home communities,” says Bogdanka.