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Author: WeBalkans

WeBalkans Announces Winners of ‘Made of Us’ Vlogger Competition

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WeBalkans is pleased to announce the winners of the competition call for vloggers as part of the ‘Made of Us’ campaign, which ran online from 7 December 2022 to 7 January 2023. The names and profiles of all selected vloggers are available at the following link.

 

The Made of Us campaign aims to promote a positive image of the EU to the people of the Western Balkans, and vice versa. It will showcase the opportunities that are already present in the region to ensure a thriving common future, with the help of EU support. The format features 12 young vloggers from both the WB6 and the EU as the campaign’s protagonists. They will travel across the region in pairs, one EU and one WB vlogger for each destination, and share their experiences of special landmarks, unique cultural heritage sites and EU projects that they visit.

 

After being selected, the winners participated in a training activity at European Commission premises in Brussels on 14-15 March. During the training, they had the opportunity to meet each other and to learn more about the purpose of the campaign, as well as topics such as storytelling to communicate EU values. They also had the privilege of meeting high-level EU officials such as Mr. Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

 

The vloggers are expected to embark on their trip in the second half of April after final preparations. They will become the official content creators of the third WeBalkans campaign, and the audience will see the EU-Western Balkans road trip directly through their eyes. They will document their experiences and share the content through WeBalkans’ social media and their own Instagram channels.

 

Discover who they are by visiting the official Made of Us campaign webpage.

RHP stakeholders celebrate the opening of Home for Elderly in Nikšić, Montenegro

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Regional Housing Programme (RHP) stakeholders gathered on 15 March to mark the final major RHP event to take place in Montenegro – the official opening of a Home for the Elderly in Nikšić, which will accommodate up to 104 most-vulnerable elderly or disabled RHP beneficiaries. The RHP will come to a close in June 2023, by which time it should have provided homes to close to 34 000 people across the four Partner Countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.

 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was hosted by Admir Adrović, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro, assisted by Budimirka Đukanović, Director at the Ministry – was attended by Riccardo Serri, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro; Marja Seppälä, Head of the RHP Unit at the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), and  Marko Kovačević, the Mayor of Nikšić, in addition to representatives from the other three RHP Partner Countries, UNHCR, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

 

On behalf of the European Union – the largest Donor to the Programme, Riccardo Serri reflected on the contribution of the EU to the future of Montenegro, including via programmes such as the RHP. “The EU integration process is not only preparing the country for membership but is also bringing concrete benefits to its citizens,” he said. “We try to pay special attention to the most-vulnerable groups in our society – the elderly, people with reduced mobility, people with disabilities, refugees… That is why I am so glad to be in Nikšić today, and… to see EU funds spent for such a humane purpose.”

 

The opening ceremony also featured regional choir and dance performances by Montenegrin cultural societies – which showcased folk dances from Montenegro and the other Western Balkan countries, in honour of all Partner Country guests – in addition to folk dances by the Macedonian cultural ensemble, Ljupčo Santov. Introducing the performances, the moderator, Žarko Božović, thanked each of the Partner Countries for joining the celebration, and remarked: “For the past ten years of the RHP, we have co-operated together. Today, we dance together.”

 

Apply now: new Culture Moves Europe call for residency hosts

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Cultural organisations regularly organising artistic and creative activities or/and those that have the capacity to implement an international artistic and cultural residency project may apply. The first call for residency hosts under the Culture Moves Europe mobility scheme opens on 15 March. The call provides financial support to organisations and individual artists registered as a legal entity that want to host international artists and cultural professionals for a residency project.

 

The residency action targets hosts working in the following sectors: architecture, cultural heritage, design and fashion design, literary translation, music, performing arts and visual arts. This first call for residency hosts is open from 15 March 2023 until 15 June 2023. To fill in the online application form, applicants must first create an account on the Goethe-Application Portal. 

 

The applicants whose residency projects have been selected will be informed at the end of July 2023 by Goethe-Institute, the organisation in charge of Culture Moves Europe and they will be invited to proceed with the selection of artists participating in their projects.

 

Selected hosts will have one year starting from the date of signature of their grant agreement to complete their project.

EU energy support package of €30 million to help the most vulnerable households and SMEs in Montenegro

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Vulnerable households and SMEs in Montenegro will pay less for energy thanks to a €30 million budget support from the EU. This financial support, announced by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in October 2022, is the first tranche of the ambitious €1 billion EU Energy Support Package to help the Western Balkans face the current energy crisis and promote its clean energy transition.

 

The EU Ambassador in Montenegro Oana-Cristina Popa, and Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović, attended the signing of the €30 million budget support. €27 million are available immediately to fight the energy crisis in Montenegro, while the EU will pay the remaining €3 million at the beginning of 2024.

 

The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Finance Aleksandar Damjanović, coordinator of the Ministry of European Affairs Ana Novaković Đurović, and the EU Delegation Head of Cooperation Yngve Engstrom.

 

The Government of Montenegro will distribute €8.5 million of the total amount to pensioners and those receiving social benefits who are affected by inflation due to the increase in energy prices. A one-off payment of €150 will be made to those with the lowest pensions – more than 40,000 recipients – while the most vulnerable families will receive €350. €13 million will be earmarked for energy efficiency improvements in households, companies, tourism and industry.

Work begins on energy-efficient Student City I campus dormitories in Tirana

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On 3 March 2023, a ground-breaking ceremony marked the beginning of an energy-efficient renovation of the Student City I campus dormitories in Tirana. The ceremony was attended by Alexis Hupin, the Chargé d’Affaires at the European Union Delegation to Albania, Brit Horschke, Director of KfW Office Albania, Peter Zingraf, German Ambassador in Albania, Evis Kushi, the Albanian Minister of Education, Sports and Youth and Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana.  
The renovation is supported by a €4.78 million grant from the European Union through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) and €30 million loan and grant package from the German Federal Government through the KfW Development Bank.  
The project consists of the rehabilitation of 19 dormitories to the EU Nearly-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard and construct at least 3 new energy efficient buildings. These improvements will decrease energy consumption by an average of 20%. 4,700 students will benefit from improved living conditions, while at least 70% of the dormitories’ capacity will be occupied by students with low incomes. The first five buildings are expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Here are the 2023 European Union Prize for Literature nominees

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The European Union Prize for Literature organisers have published the list of the 13 national nominees for the 2023 edition. The list of 13 nominees also includes Ag Apolloni from Kosovo and Ilija Đurović from Montenegro.

 

The 2023 EUPL Prize winner and the five special mentions will be revealed on 28 April during the announcement ceremony at the Leipzig Book Fair. All nominated authors will be promoted across Europe to reach a wider international audience that could connect with authors beyond their national and linguistic borders.

 

The European Union Prize for Literature has recognised emerging fiction writers from the European Union and beyond since its creation in 2009. The Prize celebrates outstanding new literary talents from all 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme. The Prize promotes the circulation of literary works in Europe and encourages greater interest in non-national literary works. It puts the spotlight on creativity and the diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction.

 

The Prize is organised by a consortium of associations comprising the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), with the support of the European Commission.

96 newly constructed apartments delivered to RHP beneficiaries in Montenegro

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As the Regional Housing Programme (RHP) approaches its conclusion in June 2023, RHP stakeholders gathered with beneficiaries to celebrate a much-anticipated occasion in Montenegro today – the delivery of newly-constructed apartments to 96 most-vulnerable refugee and displaced families in Vrela Ribnička, on the outskirts of Podgorica.In addition to the beneficiaries themselves, the ceremony – which was hosted by Admir Adrović, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro, assisted by Budimirka Đukanović, Director at the Ministry – was attended also by Ambassador Oana Cristina Popa, Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro.

 

On behalf of the European Union, Ambassador Popa warmly congratulated the beneficiaries on their new homes and reflected with satisfaction that the Programme had delivered housing to more than 30 000 most-vulnerable beneficiaries across the region thus far. “This Programme is a remarkable example of the joint efforts of countries from the region and international Donors towards peace, reconciliation and integration,” she said. “It is our joint success, and the EU is proud to be the biggest Donor.”

 

Finally, one of the beneficiaries present, Hasani Ševćet, took the opportunity to thank RHP stakeholders on behalf of the beneficiary families before concluding with a traditional song.

RCC presents Western Balkans women entrepreneurs of the year 2022

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Dhurata Thanasi Daneri, Snjezana Köpruner, Elki Shehu, Mirjana Babic, Zagorka Blazevska, Marijana Gligoric are the Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022, as presented at a ceremony organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in Tirana on 9 March.

 

The RCC launched this initiative last year in the framework of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2021-2024 and the Women Economic Empowerment Agenda to recognise women who have started and developed their businesses and contributed to new and sustainable jobs for other women and men in our region.

 

Four years ago, the RCC launched a campaign to empower Women in Entrepreneurship (WE) in the Western Balkans. WE started with the promotion and continued with numerous tangible activities, including supporting women businesses through small tourism grant programmes, competitions such as Balkathon, Regional Butterfly Innovation Award and Futourismo, encouragement of young women to choose STEM careers, and finally, creation of the Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship, whose key intention is to unlock the women potential of this region, enhance their partnerships and economic empowerment, spark the debate on creating an inclusive environment and address challenges and needs of diverse women entrepreneurs across our region and key Common Regional Market value chains.

Ambassador Sattler Discusses Digitalisation with Students of Mostar Universities

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“Decoding the Future: New Generation and Digital World” was the topic of discussion for students from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Mostar and the Faculty of Information Technologies of “Džemal Bijedić” University Mostar with Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the Delegation of the European Union and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Today’s students are ‘digital natives’, in the sense they grew up in the digital era. They can lead Bosnia and Herzegovina’s digital transformation, which will open up new opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators and more efficient e-governance in the public sector. I was very glad to have such an engaging discussion with ‘generation change’ – the future leaders who have the power to create a better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Ambassador Sattler.

 

The other members of the panel were Dr Ulrike Hartmann, Ambassador of Austria to BiH, Anđela Čović, Chief Marketing Officer of ZenDev AB, Salko Kovačić, Head of IT Centre of University Džemal Bijedić Mostar and Darko Marić, HR specialist of NSoft.

 

The event concluded by inviting students to team up and apply for the next phase of the #GenChange project and get the opportunity to be part of a winning team that will travel to Brussels this summer.

 

Throughout March and April, Ambassador Sattler and EU member state ambassadors will visit public universities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and talk with students about topics that are important to young people and for the country’s progress towards the European Union. During six events that will take place in Zenica, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Mostar, Banja Luka and Bihac, the ambassador will meet with more than 800 students and have the opportunity to hear the thoughts of the new generation in BiH, as well as answer student questions.

High Representative Borrell and Commissioner Várhelyi in Albania and North Macedonia for the bilateral Stabilisation and Association Councils

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High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, and Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Várhelyi, will be in Albania on 15-16 March and in North Macedonia on 16-17 March for the 12th and 16th Stabilisation and Association Councils that take place for the first time respectively in Tirana and Skopje.  
These meetings will be an opportunity to review EU-Albania and EU-North Macedonia bilateral relations under their respective Stabilisation and Association Agreements, and to discuss recent developments in both countries and in the Western Balkans, as well as the overall progress on EU accession.  
Today in Albania, HR/VP Borrell and Commissioner Várhelyi will meet with Prime Minister Edi Rama. Tomorrow, High Representative Borrell will chair the 12th EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Council, which will be followed by a joint press conference, with Prime Minister Rama and Commissioner Várhelyi, which will be broadcast on EbS  
The same day, High Representative Borrell will hold a bilateral meeting with Minister of Defence Niko Peleshi. He will also participate in the inauguration of the Venetian Tower in Durres, the restoration of which has been funded by the EU following the devastating earthquake in 2019 together with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhacka and Minister for Culture Elva Margariti and hold an exchange with youth representatives. On his side, Commissioner Várhelyi will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhacka, and Deputy Prime Minister, Belinda Balluku. He will also hold discussions with members of the National Council of European Integration in the Albanian Parliament together with representatives of the judiciary, the civil society and the academia.  
In North Macedonia, HR/VP Borrell and Commissioner Várhelyi will meet with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski on Thursday, 16 March. On Friday, High Representative Borrell will lead the EU delegation in the 16th EU-North Macedonia Stabilisation and Association Council. After the Council, High Representative Borrell, Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, and Commissioner Várhelyi will hold a press conference which will be transmitted live on EbSat around 11:30 CET.  
The same day, HR/VP Borrell will hold a number of bilateral meetings, including with Minister of Defence, Slavjanka Petrovska; and the Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Political Party Coordinators and Chairs of the National Council for European Integration Committee on European Affairs of the Parliament of North Macedonia. He will also meet with President Stevo Pendarovski, with whom he will jointly address the press.