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Author: WeBalkans

The European Union donated valuable equipment to the rescue services of civil protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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On 5 April, in Mostar, specialized equipment (firefighting, diving, mountaineering) and IT equipment for the Operational Center of Civil Protection in Herzegovina-Neretva County/Canton worth more than 200,000 KM was donated to the rescue services of the BiH civil protection.  
The equipment was donated as part of the “Joint response for a better protection and rescue system” project, which is financed by the European Union as part of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro. The delivered equipment and project activities will contribute to the cross-border partnership in improving the system of prevention, intervention and recovery process from disasters caused by climate change in the cross-border area.  
The project will additionally work on the education and training of personnel for field work, through various trainings and intervention exercises, and at today’s event, members of the cross-border mountain rescue services performed a short rescue intervention from heights, in order to show the participants what kind of risks such intervention carry, as well as how important it is to have quality equipment and well-trained staff.  
The total value of the project “Joint response for a better system of protection and rescue” is over €590.000, out of which the European Union provided about €490.000 in grants. Implementation started on 01.07.2022. and will last for two years, and it is implemented by the Directorate for Civil Protection and Firefighting of HNC in cooperation with partners: The Entrepreneurship and Business Association LiNK Mostar and the Foundation for the Development of the North of Montenegro (FORS MNE).

BiH countersigns Financing Agreement for 70 million euro EU Energy Support Package

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On 4 April, at a ceremony in Sarajevo, the Chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto handed over the countersigned Financing Agreement for the EU Energy Support package to the Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Johann Sattler. The European Commission will therefore soon disburse the first instalment (90%) of the €70 million package, which will provide assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most vulnerable households to cope with rising prices as well as support energy transition.

 

The Financing Agreement will be sent to the European Commission with a report outlining how the Action Plan for the Energy Support Package, approved by the BiH Council of Ministers on 22 December 2022, will be implemented. The report describes the methodologies and criteria by which the funds will be disbursed by the relevant BiH authorities, as well as the expected number of beneficiaries and timeframe for implementation. Of the €70 million allocated in immediate assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, €50 million has been allocated to support vulnerable households, and €20 million to support energy efficiency efforts.

 

The authorities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brčko District, will work on the disbursement of funds through relevant entity ministries and entity environment protection funds and administrative units in Brčko District.

 

 The Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans was announced at the end of October last year by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the beginning of her visit to the region. The overall package is worth one billion euros in grants with €500 million allocated as immediate assistance for the region. Another €500 million is allocated as medium to long-term support in grants for investments in support to energy efficiency and energy independence, through improving gas and electricity infrastructure and interconnectors including LNG.

EIB Vice-President Pavlova signs second EU grant for Belgrade – Niš railway

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Only a month after the first grant was signed, EIB Global signed a second EU grant for €174.6 million for the subsection Paraćin – Trupale – Međurovo rail route, part of an EU financial package totalling €2.2 billion for the Belgrade – Niš section of the Railway Corridor X. The first grant under the Western Balkans Investment Framework (€82.8 million) was signed in February 2023. The funds will enable the upgrade and modernisation of 230 km of railway. This will enable travel speeds of up to 200 km/h between Belgrade and Niš, increase trade flows and stimulate economic growth along the route.  
The signing ceremony was attended by Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova, Minister for European Integration Tanja Miščević, Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić, EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and representatives of Serbian Railways. This is a flagship project of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, and a Team Europe Initiative. It also benefits from EU technical assistance in preparing documentation that satisfies EU economic, environmental and social safeguards and procurement rules.  
The grant signed is part of an EU financial package of €2.2 billion to modernise the Belgrade – Niš railway, encompassing up to €600 million in EU grants. It is a clear demonstration of the rapid progress made by Team Europe in funding this flagship railway project. The package also includes a €1.1 billion EIB loan and a €550 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  
In the last 10 years, the EIB has supported the rail sector with more than €39 billion globally, helping to construct or upgrade almost 2 000 km of tracks and 304 stations. As a lead financier of strategic railway routes in the Western Balkans, the EIB has invested over €1.2 billion in the region’s rail sector, supporting regional cooperation and connectivity.

WE CARE – BETTER TOGETHER!

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“We care about Europe, we care about Serbia and its citizens – We are better together”, is the main message of the campaign in which the Ambassador of the European Union in Serbia and the ambassadors of the member states participate.

 

At the launch event of the campaign, Ambassador Giaufret and his colleagues hosted media representatives at the Residence of the European Union in Belgrade. The event was also attended by the Minister for European Integration Tanja Miščević, in the spirit of the partnership between Serbia and the EU, as well as proof of the continuation of Serbia’s European integration path.

 

Ambassador Giaufret explained the motivation behind the launching of the campaign.

 

“Why do we have this campaign? You often see us in the media discussing political issues – such as the Dialogue between Belgrade and Priština or alignment with foreign policy. These are important topics, but sometimes we don’t explain why we invest so much energy and resources. The response is in the slogan of the campaign – We care about Serbia and its citizens – We are better together”, says Ambassador Giaufret.

 

The ambassadors stated that with this campaign they want to emphasise that they care about the citizens of Serbia, and about the same things as they do – successful agriculture, empowering companies, environment, ensuring better air quality, road infrastructure and connectivity, energy efficiency and support in overcoming the energy crisis, cultural heritage, rule of law, education and many other topics.

CONNECTA workshops ‘Technical Assistance for the Deployment of Smart and Sustainable Mobility in the Western Balkans’

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On 29-30 March, CONNECTA organised in Podgorica, Montenegro, a series of workshops on the Deployment of Smart and Sustainable Mobility in the Western Balkans.  
A two-day event gathered representatives of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat,  the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania, the Ministry of Communications and Transport, the Federal Ministries of Spatial Planning and the Environment and Tourism of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure of Kosovo*, Prime Minister Office, Kosovo,  the Ministry of Capital Investments of Montenegro, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Economy of North Macedonia, and the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure of Serbia.
 
The workshop titledSustainable mobility – Vehicle development and charging/fuel infrastructurefocused on the results related to the locations of electric vehicle charging stations on the TEN-T network, savings in energy consumption and reduction of CO2 emissions due to the deployment of the infrastructure needed for e-mobility. The workshop also presented the proposed models for the charging infrastructure, including a roadmap related to the way forward.  
The second day workshop Sustainable mobility – Energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and finance issues, served to discuss results related to the activities required for the implementation of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy for the Western Balkans’ Action Plan, the transport sector’s role in Green House Gas emissions and decarbonisation scenarios, as well as financing of sustainable development and share of responsibilities among key stakeholders and final beneficiaries.  
The sub-project kicked off in March 2022 and will end at the end of April 2023. The scope of the assignment is the development of the strategic documentation needed for the deployment of smart and sustainable mobility in the Western Balkans.
 

New RHP homes allocated to 50 refugee and displaced families in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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On 28 March, The Regional Housing Programme (RHP) drew another step closer to its successful conclusion in June 2023, as stakeholders gathered to celebrate the delivery of homes to 50 refugee and displaced families in the settlement of Ada in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). This marks one of the final major RHP events to take place in BiH before the Programme closes in June 2023.

 

In addition to the beneficiaries themselves, the event was attended by Željka Cvijanović, Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Sevlid Hurtić, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (RS); Gianluca Vannini, Head of Operations, Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to BiH; Ognjen Grujic, Head of the Project Department at the Embassy of Norway in BiH; Draško Stanivuković, Mayor of Banja Luka, and Aleksandar Čađenović, Government Liaison Officer at UNHCR, among others.

 

On behalf of the European Union, the largest Donor to the RHP, Gianluca Vannini reflected on the importance of the Programme, which had delivered close to 2 600 housing units for families in need in BiH: “The RHP is helping to overcome the legacy of the past and open a new chapter in people’s lives as well as in the integration and solidarity of the region,” he said. “It brings the best of the European Union’s cooperation with the Balkans, improving everyday life and raising standards.” He added that the EU had donated €238 million in total within the RHP, and that the U.S. Government had also contributed €24 million, in addition to other Donors who had provided €29.7 million.

NGO forum on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans

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The RCC and EU4Green collaborated to host an NGO conference on the Western Balkans’ Green Agenda on March 30 in Belgrade. In order to support engagement and strengthen the role of civil society, the forum participants discussed pressing environmental issues such as sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, greening of investments and jobs, as well as the regional and personal progress of the Western Balkans’ implementation of the Green Agenda Action Plan.

 

“The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is a dynamic and evolving initiative that, like a living organism, requires collective efforts of both the governmental and non-governmental sectors to nurture, grow and shape towards a sustainable plan for the future. In a developing region, such as ours, the concerns are related to daily life, and this makes it more difficult to think about the form and ways the future is threatened. The future with all its colours of uncertainty seems distant when daily perspective is still challenging. Our region should remain steadfast on the sustainable, green transition and decarbonisation path as any long-term derails are detrimental, especially in such a climate change-vulnerable region like ours,” said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

 

The forum gathered nearly 60 representatives of civil society organisations and coalitions and close to 20 representatives of donor community and international organisations, including representatives of governments from the region. Fruitful discussions covering major topics on the implementation of the GAWB collected valuable input and reflections from a diverse list of CSOs on the key challenges and progress on the implementation of the Agenda so far.

Kick-off meeting for WBIF EU-funded project for Secondary Sewerage Network for Mostar City

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On 13 March, the kick-off meeting for the Technical Assistance (TA) ’Secondary Sewerage Network for Mostar City – Phase 2: Updated Feasibility Study, ESIA, Detailed Design, Tender Dossiers’ was held in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Union has provided a €700,000 grant through the Western Balkans Infrastructure Framework (WBIF) for this TA project. The EU grant will be implemented by Infrastructure Project Facility 11 (IPF 11) with loan financing planned to be provided by the European Investment Bank.

 

The City of Mostar, located approximately 120 km southwest of Sarajevo, is one of the largest cities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is located on the banks of the Neretva River, which runs through the Neretva Valley in the southern part of the country, prior to discharging into the Adriatic Sea.This project is an integral part of the programme for improving the sewage disposal of the area of Mostar ‘Mostar Urban Environmental and Water Quality Plan’ developed in 2004, with the main objective to ensure adequate living conditions for the population of Mostar.

 

The Project would allow for stopping currently untreated wastewater discharges into the Neretva River and, at the same time, would significantly increase the flow to the wastewater treatment plan and enable it to reach full design capacity and efficiency. The purpose of the TA and engineering services under this assignment is to develop the technical documentation with activities consisting of the update of the Feasibility Study, elaboration of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study, development of the Detailed Design and preparation of the Tender Dossiers for construction works and supervision of works in full conformance with the legal framework in BiH, EU and EIB requirements and standards.

Here are the winners of the 2022 Young European Heritage Makers Competition

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The Young European Heritage Makers Competition invites children and high school students to explore their surroundings, learn about their local tangible and intangible cultural heritage and share a story about Europe. This initiative enhances young people’s understanding of the concept of heritage and its relevance to local communities.

 

People from 6 countries expressed their vision of heritage through more than 60 testimonies. The list of countries included Finland, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Spain

 

After a first selection at national level in 2 age categories, a European panel of judges evaluated the shortlisted projects. This chose 8 winners based on the relevance, quality and creativity of their heritage-awareness raising projects.

Serbia and the EU helping Ukraine together

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On 28 March, Prime Minister Brnabic, the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia and the Ambassador of Ukraine witnessed the dispatch of energy equipment to Ukraine which Serbia provides with support of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The devices were briefly presented on trucks before they were sent off to Romania from where they will be delivered to Ukraine. “The trucks transport 19 different electronic devices, parts of the electrical infrastructure that Serbia decided to share with the people of Ukraine. The Russian aggression against Ukraine has produced numerous problems, and to this day more than 17 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance,” said the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret.

 

The donation is financed by Serbia, and the transport is facilitated by the European Union, through the Civil Protection Mechanism.

 

The ambassador said that Russia is systematically destroying Ukraine’s civil energy infrastructure and thanked the Government of Serbia for deciding to join the EU in providing equipment and aid to Ukraine.

 

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism facilitates cooperation in emergency response, preparation and prevention between Member States, as well as several other European countries. Serbia became a member of the Mechanism in 2015, but even before that, during the devastating floods in May 2014, Serbia felt the benefits of European solidarity through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This operation has been one of the largest since the Mechanism was established.