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Author: WeBalkans

Open Call for Expressions of Interest in Cultural Leadership and Media Programmes

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

UNESCO, the British Council, and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) have joined forces to manage Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBs). A programme funded by the European Union, aimed at fostering intercultural dialogue and enhancing the socio-economic impact of the cultural and creative sector in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia).

 

Through a broad participatory approach targeting public authorities, the private sector, civil society organizations in culture, as well as individual professionals in the sector, the CC4WBs programme aims to: improve the performance of the cultural and creative sector in the Western Balkans, strengthen the cultural cooperation within and with the region, and enhance inclusive cultural heritage for local development.

 

The ultimate beneficiaries of the CC4WBs programme are the citizens of the Western Balkans, who will have various opportunities to apply for professional development and capacity-building activities, as well as grant funding within specific thematic windows.

 

The CC4WBs programme has launched an Open Call for Expressions of Interest in Cultural Leadership and Media Programmes. This Open Call for Expressions of Interest is organized under Thematic Window 2 of the Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans Programme’s portfolio of Open Calls. It is aimed at individual applicants willing to participate in the specified Programme Cycles contributing to the cultural sector and cross-sectoral challenges.

For more information, please visit the following link.

EU-North Macedonia: Commission proposes up to €100 million in assistance for North Macedonia

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The Commission proposed on 6 February to provide up to €100 million in Macro-financial Assistance (MFA) to North Macedonia. With this proposal, the Commission is standing by North Macedonia in challenging times, as, following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the country’s external balance has deteriorated rapidly because of its high dependency on imports of fuel and electricity. North Macedonia also faces large external debt repayment needs in 2023 in a context of challenging financing conditions.  
The proposed assistance would contribute to covering North Macedonia’s financing needs in 2023 and 2024, supporting both fiscal sustainability and structural reforms. Today’s proposal accompanies a 24-month support programme concluded with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), of up to €530 million.  
The assistance would come in the form of loans, to be paid in two tranches. These two payments would be conditional on the implementation of policy measures which need to be agreed between North Macedonia and the EU in a Memorandum of Understanding. The Memorandum of Understanding is likely to focus on policy reforms in the areas of fiscal governance, tax policy, the management of public investment, public-private partnerships, business environment, transparency in state aid, energy efficiency, judiciary reform, and the fight against corruption. The payments would also be conditional on a positive track record in implementing the IMF programme. These reforms will support North Macedonia on its path to EU membership.

EU supports the final section of the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor in Serbia

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On 23 January, the Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia, Dubravka Đedović, the Director of the German Development Bank (KfW) office in Belgrade, Rüdiger Hartmann, the Minister of European Integration Tanja Miščević and the Director of “Elektromreža Srbije” Jelena Matejić signed an €8.9 million investment for the implementation of the 84-km section of the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor in Serbia.  
The EU has contributed to the project with a WBIF grant of €11 million, complemented by a KfW loan of €30 million.  
The section involves the construction of a 400-kV interconnecting transmission line from the Bajina Bašta substation to the borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.  
The start of works is scheduled in early 2025 – after the construction on the third section connecting Obrenovac to Bajina Bašta has started, – and completion can be expected in 2027. One hundred twenty kilometres of the Trans-Balkan Corridor on Serbian territory have already been built, from Pančevo to the border with Romania and from Kragujevac to Kraljevo.  
The Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor is part of the EU €1 billion Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans, launched by President von der Leyen on 6 December on the occasion of the EU-Western Balkans Summit.

Meet the 16 Awarded Superschools of North Macedonia

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The Regional Youth Cooperation Office, in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) organised the introductory event “Meet the Superschools of North Macedonia” in Skopje on 26 January in the framework of the Superschools Exchange Programme. The meeting gathered the 16 awarded high schools from North Macedonia represented by their principals and teachers in charge of coordinating the upcoming regional exchanges not only to get to meet with each other but also to be part of a significant momentum such as the signing of the Partnership Agreements.

 

The directors and professors who will coordinate and implement these youth exchanges presented their ideas that will be further developed with the support of RYCO. The meeting served as a space for the participating schools to present their exchange programs in front of several important local and international actors. Also, it helped them create a clear overview of the program’s next steps. Young people representing the 16 high schools will have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the unique experience that the Superschools program has to offer.

 

The implementation of the projects will be divided into two rounds: The first round of exchanges will happen from April to June 2023, and the second round will continue from August to October 2023. Each partner school will organise one exchange visit to the partnering one lasting up to 7 days with a group of up to 12 students and 1 to 2 teachers. Through the exchange scheme, students and teachers will have the chance to travel, present themselves, their schools, and customs to their hosts, and learn new things about local communities throughout the region.

YEA participate in a conference on challenges and opportunities of the EU and the Western Balkans relations in Denmark

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The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB), in cooperation with the Danish Foreign Policy Society and three key Danish political parties – the Social Democrats, the Liberal Party and Green Left, hosted the whole day conference at the Danish Parliament on 25 January 2023.  
The discussion, which has attracted significant interest and had a public of around 100 participants, was mainly focused on the recent developments and the present challenges in the relationship between the EU and the aspiring member states in the Western Balkan.  
In the centre of the debate were the opportunities and obstacles for the countries of the Western Balkan towards progress in the EU accession through a dialogue between policymakers, activists and analysts from Denmark, the EU and the Western Balkans and how to make the integration process of the Western Balkans more tangible, bringing the region closer to the EU and how Denmark can support the process.  
The conference was also attended by Young European Ambassador (YEA) Ivan Durgutov, who was part of the panel ‘Challenges of Trust and Transformation in the Western Balkans’. The panel included young people who addressed the challenges of youth engagement and involvement in Western Balkan-EU relations.

YEA organise a discussion on the greater involvement of youth in society in North Macedonia

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Damjan Zlatanovski, a Young European Ambassador (YEA), organised a discussion event on the greater involvement of youth in society in North Macedonia. The event was attended by around 40 participants, including young people from the city of Kumanovo and institutional and civil society representatives who are engaged in improving young people’s living standards and implementing local youth-related policies.    
At the event, the head of the Municipal Council of Kumanovo, Mrs Ivana Gjorgjievska gave an overview of the situation and plans of the Municipality of Kumanovo about increasing youth involvement in decision-making. The presidents of Local Youth Councils from the Northeast region shared their examples of successful Local Youth Councils and Youth workers from Youth Center “Multikulti” and NGO “Center for Intercultural Dialogue” explained the role of the civil sector as a supporter and partner in the functioning of the Local Youth Councils and encourager of higher youth involvement in decision-making.

A Growing Connection

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BULGARTRANSGAZ company organised a high-level event in Sofia on 1 February to celebrate the milestone of launching the construction works of the “Gas Interconnection Bulgaria-Serbia” (IBS). The President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, together with the Ministers of Energy of both countries and the Ambassador of the European Union to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret attended the event and participated in a walk along the route of the interconnection.  
The new gas interconnector will connect the existing Serbian network in Niš with the Bulgarian network in the capital Sofia, stretching for 109 km on the Serbian side. The part of the project on Serbian territory is being financed partly through EU grants, €49.6 million, and €25 million of a favourable loan from the European Investment Bank.  
The works on the Serbian territory on the interconnector started in January 2022, and works on the Bulgarian were launched on 1 February.  
The Bulgarian part IBS is a Project of Common Interest (PCI) that has been co-funded by the EU under the Connecting Europe Facility Energy programme with €27.6 million. The EU support will contribute to constructing the total length of the gas interconnector on Bulgarian territory (62 km), from the town of Novi Iskar to the Bulgarian-Serbian border. Besides the gas pipeline network, other technological facilities will be built, such as pigging facilities, valve assemblies, two automated gas-regulating stations (at Slivnitsa and Dragoman), and a gas metering station at Kalotina.

Open call for journalists to participate in media trips in 2023/24

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The Pulse of Europe – Media Trips to EU project has issued a new Call for Proposals for journalists to participate in media trips that will be organised during 2023 and the first half of 2024. The call will be open throughout that period.  
As in the previous cycle of project implementation, the invitation is open to all media in Serbia – national, regional and local, electronic, print and online media – with the condition of compliance with the Code of Ethics (Code of Journalists of Serbia) and respect of professional and ethical standards.  
The project organises group-thematic media trips that include a more significant number of media, as well as individual trips where a journalist travels alone, with the logistical support of the project. Group media trips will be organised to EU member states, the Western Balkans countries, and countries of the Eastern Partnership (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine) and Great Britain.  
The project is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia and the Center for Cultural Decontamination.

Mito-Fert-Signature – Safe and cost-effective diagnostic tool to asses men (in/sub) fertility

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An EU funded project supports scientists in Serbia on making available their innovation to local and international market.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility is a global public health issue and it is increasing for 10% every year. The overall burden of subfertility/infertility is significant, likely underestimated, and has not displayed any decrease over the last 20 years. According to WHO the increasing number of unexplained cases of infertile males in the peak of the reproductive period, and a decrease of the fertility rate in men younger than age 30, suggest an urgent need for accurate diagnostic. A team of scientists from University of Novi Sad Mito-REBELS (https://mito-rebels.pmf.uns.ac.rs/mito-rebels-engl/; https://expo2020.pks.rs/mito-rebels/ ) have found a feasible solution for this addressing this worldwide issue.

“So, through this project we came up with a totally new approach in assessment of infertility or subfertility in males.”

Professor Silvana Andric is a lecturer at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences. She is a PhD in male reproductive endocrinology and post-doctoral training in cell signalling related to reproductive endocrinology. Finally, Professor Andric has 30 years of experience in research related to male reproductive biology and 20 years of experience in teaching different courses related to reproductive biology and cell signalling. Years ago, together with Mito-REBELS team (https://mito-rebels.pmf.uns.ac.rs/mito-rebels-engl) she embarked on an ambitious task of offering solution to the increasing global problem of male infertility and they came up with a innovative solution that is based on the relation of mitochondria and sperm functionality .  Professor Andric explains that the close relationship between mitochondria and sperm functionality was clear, but unfortunately was not exploited in clinical practice. Therefore, they worked on this proposal which is based on research initially on animal models and later on human samples where they learned that have good results on regular testing procedures, but are infertile. “So, through this project we came up with a totally new approach in assessment of infertility or subfertility in males,” says Professor Andric.

Elaborating further on the topic, Professor Andric further explains that their invention is based on molecular approach, a technology based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test which is regularly used in diagnostic (also for the SaRS-Cov2). Therefore, they don’t need to establish new technology in order to start the implementation of the solution.

“The support that we got from the EU4TECH project was crucial, enormous and extremely important.”

About the project

EU4TECH PoC Western Balkans was a two-year multi-country Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) project funded by the EU through the Western Balkans Enterprise and Development Innovation Facility (WBEDIF). The project covered the six economies of the Western Balkans region. Projects supported originated from public research organisations and start-ups/ small and medium-sized enterprises.

WBEDIF is one of the private sector instruments supported by the Western Balkans Investment Framework – a joint initiative of the EU, financial organisations, bilateral donors and beneficiaries, aimed at enhancing harmonisation and cooperation in investments for the socio-economic development of the region and contributing to the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

The WBIF is the main vehicle for implementation of the EU’s ambitious Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. Enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector, and stepping up support to research and innovation is at the heart of the Plan.

Despite the scientific success, professor and her team had to do an additional work in order to bring this innovation to life, work that was out of their professional scope. This included market strategy, trade mark related and prototyping related documents and similar. On this they got a support from and EU funded EU4TECH project and great people (dr Lisa Cowey, dr Davorka Forjan, dr Krzysztof Gulda, etc). Thanks to this support, now professor Andric and her team will be able to acquire additional funding or investors for the project, initiate a start-up or in some other way place the product in the market. “The support that we got from the EU4 TECH project was crucial, enormous and extremely important,” says professor Andric.

The invention is planned to be offered to the market sometime next year. Professor Andric says that she is interested to keep this invention as part of the University by creating a sort of spin off that would give an opportunity to Mito-REBELS team and most importantly to the students to grow bigger and sign off also other important inventions.

EU and EBRD support renovation wave in Serbia

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The European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are helping Serbia to improve the energy efficiency of its public buildings with a €14 million financial package.  
The package, which includes a €12 million EBRD loan and a €2 million grant from the EU, will help finance energy efficient retrofit measures in 80 public buildings, including education, healthcare, administrative, sports and cultural buildings, across 20 municipalities in Vojvodina. These buildings will be renovated with thermal insulation, new windows, upgraded heating, ventilation and cooling systems, and energy efficient lighting.  
The improvements are expected to contribute to primary energy reduction of 53 per cent and annual CO2 emission reductions of 56 per cent.  
In addition to €2 million grant from the EU, the project also benefits from close to €2 million grants for technical cooperation, provided by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Italy through Central European Initiative (CEI).  
Buildings account for around 34 per cent of energy consumption in Serbia. Renovations can help lower consumption and CO2 emissions, but significant effort is needed to stimulate and prioritise these investments, especially in the multi-apartment residential sector.