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Author: WeBalkans

Twenty displaced families receive keys to new RHP homes in Kalesija, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

On 7 March 2023, 20 displaced families were awarded keys to newly-constructed Regional Housing Programme (RHP) apartments in Kalesija, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  
In addition to the beneficiaries themselves, the event was attended by Gianluca Vannini, Head of Operations, Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to BiH; Edin Ramić, Minister of Displaced Persons and Refugees in the Federation of BiH; Sead Džafić, Mayor of Kalesija; Nermina Džepar-Ganibegović, RHP Country Housing Project Lead Manager at the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of BiH; Sanja Hamidović, Programme Manager at the EU Delegation to BiH, and Aleksandar Čađenović, Government Liaison Officer at UNHCR.  
On behalf of the European Union – the main Donor to the RHP – Gianluca Vannini warmly congratulated the beneficiaries on their new homes and the BiH authorities for completing approximately 2 530 housing units to date but observed nevertheless that efforts still needed to be invested to ensure the integration of the families within their communities.  

From Belgrade to Niš at 200 km/h – EU financial package of €2.2 bn for Railway Corridor X

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

On 28 February 2023, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Serbia announced jointly a €2.2 billion financial package for the modernisation of railway Corridor X. The package focuses on rehabilitating the railway section between Belgrade and Niš, enabling a high-speed rail connection of up to 200 km/h between the two cities, with a faster flow of goods and services, and rapid integration into the EU railway network.  
The package includes an investment grant of up to €598 million from the EU – the largest EU grant for a single project in Serbia; a €1.1 billion loan from the EIB, and a €550 million loan from the EBRD. The EU has already approved €265 million in IPA grants, and the first tranche of €82.8 million was sealed by a protocol signing on the train from Belgrade to Niš.  
The signing took place in the presence of the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Olivér Várhelyi, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, as well as the Head of the EIB Office for the Western Balkans, Alessandro Bragonzi, the Director of the EBRD for the Western Balkans, Matteo Colangeli, the Minister for EU Integration, Tanja Miščević, the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić and the Minister of Finance, Siniša Mali, as well as EU Member States’ diplomats.  
Railway Corridor X is one of the pan-European corridors connecting Central Europe with Thessaloniki, Greece. It has been identified as Flagship 1 – Connecting East to West, within the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. The plan aims to mobilise investments in transport, energy, green and digital transition, to create sustainable growth and jobs reaching one–third of the GDP of the Western Balkans.

YEAs of Montenegro organise a panel discussion on Social Media Activism and Gender Equality

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

YEAs of Montenegro organised a panel discussion in Europe House on social media activism and gender equality. The panel discussion aimed to educate the participants on the importance of gender equality, its benefits, and how they can actively promote gender equality in their personal and professional lives using social media as a primary channel/platform.  
The discussion also included guest speakers such as Nikola Ilic, who has been actively involved in the protection and promotion of the human rights of LGBTIQ persons and gender equality formally since 2016, Nina Kriticki, the author of her SoMe page “Kriticki” and a very outspoken person in the community and Young European Ambassador Edina Osmanovic. The event was moderated by Young European Ambassador Iva Korovic, with Iva moderating the session.  
At the event, the participants defined gender equality and its importance in promoting social, economic, and political justice. They also discussed the various forms of gender discrimination and inequality and similar topics.

Energy connects us

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Delivering on the promise that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made in Skopje in October 2022, the EU provided North Macedonia with 80 million EUR to tackle the energy crisis. “Energy connects us” is a campaign launched by EU Delegation in North Macedonia for promoting this support.

 

“Energy connects us. It connects us in these times of scarcity that we are witnessing all over Europe and globally, as a result of Russia`s inhumane war. It connects us in sharing the burden. And it connects us to the future through our efforts to turn to clean sources with minimum costs for the environment”, said EU Ambassador David Geer.

 

This assistance is part of a 1 billion EUR-package that the EU has prepared for the Western Balkans, as investments in clean energy. Not counting more than 250 million EUR for reform of the energy sector in the country that the EU provided with the support of the international financial institutions and EU Member States.

YEA in North Macedonia organize an event to mark “Rare Disease month”

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February is Rare Disease Month, and 28 February is international Rare Disease Day. On the initiative of Irena Shumenkovska, a Young European Ambassador (YEA) from North Macedonia, a discussion was organized on 28 February on the occasion of the International Day of Rare Diseases.

 

Speakers at this event were His Excellency the EU Ambassador to North Macedonia David Geer, the first lady Professor Dr. Elizabeta Gjorgievska, doctors, professors, representatives from associations for rare diseases and students, who made an active contribution to the debate. The debate was moderated by the Young European Ambassador Irena Shumenkovska. The discussion aimed at contributing to improving the status of people with rare diseases, finding a suitable drug and equal access to the drug because life has no price. Health, good quality of life, treatment and care are fundamental human rights of every individual.

 

The event was organized in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union in North Macedonia, Europe House Skopje and We Balkans.

Media and Information Literacy Workshops by YEAs start in the Western Balkans!

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On 7 March, Young European Ambassadors (YEA) in Western Balkans started with the implementation of Media and Information Literacy Workshops, which are peer-to-peer events that will be conducted by YEAs who participated in the training on the topic of Media and Information Literacy.

 

The first workshop was organized in Europe House in Tirana, Albania. The workshop was conducted by two YEAs from Albania – Erisa Zemzadja and Benard Babaj. Participants could learn more about Media and Information Literacy during the workshop through practical and theoretical exercises. This workshop marked the beginning of the implementation process of workshops all around the Western Balkans. For more information and dates, make sure to follow www.webalkans.eu!

YEA organise street action to mark 8 March International Women’s day

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On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Young European Ambassadors across Western Balkans decided to join the  #IWD2023 campaign and #EmbraceEquity. Young European Ambassadors organized flash mobs and talked with citizens in the street about women’s position, rights, and status in their societies across the region.

 

Here is what we found out:

 

-Women’s employment in the WB6 is only 45% for women, compared to 65% for men.

-GDP of WB entities could be 20% higher if women were to participate in the labour market at the same level as men.

-The average percentage of women MPs in the WB is 33%, and 27% of Ministers.

-Only 12.4% of women graduates prefer STEM disciplines, as opposed to 49.8% of men.

-Only 48% of women in WB use the internet, compared to 58% of men.”

 

The IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme aims to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.

NGO Mozaik Empowers People with Disabilities in Montenegro

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

A story of social inclusion, creativity and support through the EU-funded ReLOaD2 programme.

In Montenegro, people with disabilities often face challenges when it comes to participating in social processes within their local community. This can be due to a lack of infrastructure that accommodates their needs, financial difficulties, or a lack of motivation. This is particularly true in Niksic, which is the country’s second largest town with a population of around 60,000. A new non-governmental organization (NGO) called Mozaik was founded in this city to address this issue. According to the organization, there was a clear lack of social inclusion for people with disabilities in Niksic, with many of them being isolated and lacking access to social activities or support to improve their quality of life.

In 2019, Blagoje Šturanović 23-year student of sociology at that time, with two other friends, who are also people with disabilities, founded Mozaik to take action and address these issues. Blagoje explains that there were no other organizations in Niksic that specifically addressed the needs of people with disabilities, and that he and the other founding members of Mozaik were in need of support. While there were other organizations providing some support, their focus was not fully dedicated to people with disabilities.

“Unfortunately, in Niksic and the Western Balkans in general, accessibility is a serious problem for people with disabilities when it comes to accessing buildings. Most cafes, restaurants, and other places are not wheelchair accessible, and during the summer, the group was only able to gather on terraces.”

From the beginning, the founding partners of Mozaik had the idea of creating a social club where people with disabilities could gather, socialize, and participate in various cultural and social activities. “Unfortunately, in Niksic and the Western Balkans in general, accessibility is a serious problem for people with disabilities when it comes to accessing buildings. Most cafes, restaurants, and other places are not wheelchair accessible, and during the summer, the group was only able to gather on terraces,”says Blagoje

The pandemic made these accessibility issues even more challenging. In order to facilitate the socialization and integration of people with disabilities in Niksic, Mozaik established the first social club for people with different types of disabilities with the support of the EU-funded ReLOaD2 program which is implemented by UNDP.

The social club, located in a space provided by the Municipality of Niksic, offered 15 motivational workshops for psychological assistance and 15 occupation-based workshops. Additionally, Mozaik founded a small painting atelier and offered creative courses in painting for people with disabilities. Blagoje notes that the painting atelier and course were the most popular activities of the Club, with the highest participation from members.

“For example, a woman in her 60s who previously never left her house but is now out and about in the city almost every day, participating in workshops or engaging in other activities.”

About the project

The Regional Programme for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2) is a continuation of EU-supported initiatives – Local Democracy Strengthening Project (LOD, 2009-2016) and the subsequently expanded Regional Program for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD, 2017-2020). The overall objective of the project is to strengthen participatory democracies and EU integration in the Western Balkans by empowering civil society and encouraging young people to actively take part in the decision-making process, and by improving a supportive legal and financial environment for civil society.

The impact of the project on the lives of people with disabilities in Niksic was significant. “For example, a woman in her 60s, who previously never left her house but is now out and about in the city almost every day, participating in workshops or engaging in other activities,” says Blagoje.

Mozaik’s future plans include more projects that will further improve the lives of people with disabilities in Niksic. Blagoje hopes that all of the Club’s members, who he believes have high potential, will have more opportunities to integrate and contribute to the community, and through cooperation with the municipality the club will be sustainable also in the future.

BIRN Kicks Off Project Strengthening Quality Journalism in Western Balkans and Türkiye II

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

In the next three years, BIRN Hub will continue to provide systemic support to improve the quality and professionalism of journalism in the Western Balkans and Türkiye through the project Strengthening Quality Journalism II funded by the European Union.  
Different trainings will be provided to young and mid-career journalists followed by editorial support. At the same time, mainstream and public service media will be included in the project activities, especially oriented towards content production through cross-border collaborations. Through the already recognized EU awards scheme and the new regional award, the project will promote high standards in investigative journalism. Academia will be involved through different activities, among them working on a Master’s level programme for investigative journalism.  
Over the three days, BIRN Hub and its seven partner organizations met and planned project actions that aim to support 600 young and mid-career journalists to produce quality news and conduct investigative reporting, provide journalism training, funds for content production and awards for merits in investigative reporting.

Energy Support Package in action – The rehabilitation of six hydropower plants in North Macedonia

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Financing agreements totaling €36.2 million were signed on 23 February 2023, for the rehabilitation of six hydropower plants in North Macedonia. The investment consists of €11.2 million in EU grants, €25 million loan from the KfW development bank, and €200,000 from the German Government – all funds channeled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).  
The investment will be completed in the next two years and is the third phase of the rehabilitation of six large hydropower plants (HE Vrutok, HE Vrben, HE Raven, HE Tikvesh, HE Shpilje and HE Globocica) that provide between 20% and 30% of the total electricity production in the country.  
The investments will extend the lifetime of the plants, increasing their generation capacity by 13.5 MW. Electricity production will increase by about 47.5 G The project is in line with the commitment of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans to transition to clean energy and will contribute to the Energy Development Strategy of North Macedonia. This aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 61% compared to 2005 levels and increase the share of renewable energy sources to 45% by 2040.  
The loan, grant and guarantee agreements were signed between KfW Head of the Division for Energy and Transport Southeast Europe and Turkey, Pablo Obrador Alvarez; Minister of Finance of North Macedonia Fatmir Besimi; and Director of the public company AD ESM – Skopje Vasko Kovachevski. The signature ceremony was attended by the European Ambassador David Geer and the acting ambassador of Germany in the country, Otto Graf.  
The project, identified as Flagship 4 – Renewable energy in the EU Economic and Investment Plan, is part of the European Commission´s effort to improve energy security in the region, and follows the adoption of the €1 billion Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans. It is financed through the WBIF part of the package (€500m) that covers priority flagship investments to diversify energy supplies, boost renewable energy and improve energy efficiency.