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Author: WeBalkans

BIRN Publishes 2022 Report on Handling of Workers’ Rights Cases in Kosovo by Courts and Labour Inspectorate

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The 2022 report found that almost one person dies in the workplace in Kosovo every month on average, while only 1.5 per cent of businesses have fulfilled their obligation to assess the risks at the workplace. Although there are no exact statistics on the number of unregistered workers in Kosovo, Labour Inspectorate data show that during 2021 alone, 1,459 employees were found to be working without employment contracts while 433 employees were not declared at the Tax Administration of Kosovo, TAK.  
The findings of the report were discussed with two panels, including different actors from public institutions. At a a conference “Handling of Workers’ Rights Cases by the Labour Inspectorate and the Judiciary”.  
This activity was implemented as part of the project “Protecting and Promoting Labour Rights of Vulnerable Groups in the Labour Market”, funded by the European Office in Kosovo and implemented by BIRN Kosovo in partnership with Advocacy Training and Resource Center ATRC.

Meet the 17 Selected Superschools of Albania

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The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) organized the introductory event “Meet the Superschools of Albania” in Tirana on January 25th, 2023 in the framework of the Superschools Exchange Programme. The meeting gathered the 17 awarded high schools from Albania 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 activity was participated by Mrs. Evis Kushi, Minister of Education and Sports, H. E. Christiane Hohmann, Ambassador of the European Union in Albania, Mr. Martin Karl Zickendraht, First Secretary in Charge of the Culture and Press Section at the German Embassy, and Mrs. Alba Brojka, Head of the Local Branch Office of RYCO in Albania.

 

Ambassador Christiane Hohmann stated that the European Union is very proud to support this project. “We are very happy that there will be more and more Superschools in the region. We see this project as part of our wider objective to support youth engagement, and regional cooperation and reconciliation. The EU will continue to place young people and children at the center of our cooperation with the Western Balkans.” – reinforced further the ambassador.

 

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 organize 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 all throughout the region.

The EU and Germany help improve waste management in Kosovo; invest additional EUR 49 million in the sector

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The EU in Kosovo, in collaboration with the German Embassy, GIZ, Ministry of Environment, and the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, marked on 25 January the completion of a three-year-long project dedicated to the improvement of the solid-waste management in Kosovo and presented the newly launched activities in the sector.  
The recently finalised project worth EUR 7 million was jointly funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by GIZ. It led to an increase in the collection of solid waste in all 38 Kosovo municipalities from 57.8 to 90.2 per cent, an extension of waste-collection and management service to additional 77,000 households, and the closure of more than 1,500 illegal dumpsites.  
The EU and the German Government are continuing to support sustainable reforms in the waste management sector in Kosovo.

EU agrees 24 new guarantee programmes to boost investments in enlargement and neighbourhood regions

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The Operational Board of the European Fund for Sustainable Development plus (EFSD+) has today endorsed a further package of 24 guarantee programmes to support investments in the EU’s neighbourhood and enlargement countries. Together with the three guarantees for the Western Balkans to support SMEs approved in December, the new guarantees, worth €2.4 billion, are expected to generate investments in the order of €17 billion in priority sectors, including renewable energy, digital connectivity and private sector competitiveness, under the Economic and Investment Plans (EIPs), which are the vehicles to deliver on Global Gateway in the Western Balkans and South and Eastern Neighbourhood.

 

The EFSD+, the financial arm under the EU’s Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe, provides guarantees to mitigate the risk for investments aligned with EU priorities in our partner countries.

 

European and international financial institutions, such as the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and EU national development banks, will work jointly with the European Commission to originate investment opportunities, aligned with the Economic and Investment Plan flagships and that are expected to crowd-in private investors.

 

Once the guarantee agreements are signed between the EU and a total of 11 European and International Financial Institutions such as the EIB, the EBRD and national development banks, these entities will have three years to generate investments in areas like: the competitiveness of the private sector and the innovation agenda for the Western Balkans; the Black Sea connectivity in the Eastern Neighbourhood; the energy transition and security in the Southern Neighbourhood. The EU guarantee is also expected to increase banks’ finance for small and medium enterprises, as well as to increase the issuance of green bonds in the EU partner countries.

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

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Do you know how the news is created? How can you tell truth from misinformation? Why do we need media literacy? What are the most reliable sources of news? Why do some news stories go viral? Join us to find out!

 

After the intensive learning process on Media and Information Literacy, Young European Ambassadors from Western Balkans are starting their journey around the Western Balkans, sharing their knowledge with young people interested in media, social media, and society, always eager to learn more about the world around us.

 

If you are:

 

-interested in the topic of Media and Information Literacy

-13 – 16 years old

-coming from the Western Balkans

 

then JOIN US on our journey!!

 

You will be given an opportunity to meet our YEAs but also learn about:

 

-media and media literacy

-fake news

-clickbait

-journalism

-media manipulation

-and much more…

 

through fun exercises, lots of discussion, videos and examples.

 

All of the workshops will be conducted in local languages. You will also have the opportunity to get to know about Young European Ambassadors and to get some YEA gifts from our team!

 

The exact times and dates for the workshops in Western Balkans will be announced on our channels soon!

 

The maximum number of participants per workshop is 25, so be ready to check info about dates and venues regularly, in order to secure your spot on time by filling in this registration FORM.

By filling in this form, you are securing your spot and we will contact you directly regarding the date and place of the workshop nearest to you!

 

Contact us on yea@webalkans.eu for more info! Otherwise, stay tuned and follow our feed

Changing your outfit

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

An EU-funded project provides financial and technical assistance to textile companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Textile companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina faced numerous challenges during the pandemic. Orders and sales significantly dropped, and supply chains were disrupted, making the purchase of raw materials very difficult from early February 2020. The industry estimates that every third job lost in the country during the pandemic occurred in the textile sector. One of the companies facing these challenges was a clothing company with a long history: Sana Linea from Kostajnica, in the north of BiH. Established in 1947, the company currently employs 74 workers and is an entirely women-led business. They have 13 retail stores across Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as two in Serbia.

“We were working on the development of a new collection. As everyone knows, the pandemic created major problems in the procurement of materials and delivery problems. In our case, one of the problems was also the financing of certain special machines in a higher price range, and we needed them for the necessary modernisation of our production line.”

Marijana Bučevac is the CEO of Sana Linea. She explains that the company was doing well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when they were planning expansion of their product line and the number of employees. However, the pandemic brought a halt to this development and jeopardised even the existing operational performance of the company. “We were working on the development of a new collection. As everyone knows, the pandemic created major problems in the procurement of materials and delivery . In our case, one of the problems was also the financing of certain special machines in a higher price range, and we needed them for the necessary modernisation of our production line,” says Marijana.

Just at that time, they saw an announcement by the EU-funded EU4BusinessRecovery project and they applied. The support from the project came at the right time, and the European Union supported them with the purchase of special machines for the production, and with the procurement of raw materials. The project also contributed to a healthier environment for employees, with a partial reconstruction of the factory. Marijana describes one of the other important investments being the development of a mobile application for iOS and Android platforms that allowed them to improve online sales and reach a larger number of customers.

“Through this support, we managed to modernise our production by purchasing special machinery, and hired 10 new workers. We also developed our web shop and webpage so we can reach out to new customers. We have started exporting to the EU.”

About the project 

The EU-funded “COVID-19 Investment Response – EU4 Business Recovery” project is implemented by the International Labour Organisation, in partnership with the German development agency GIZ and the United Nations Development Programme. The aim of the project is to support the recovery of the BiH economy from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific objective is to provide emergency support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to ensure their business continuity, retain more than 1,000 jobs, and create at least 100 new jobs, especially supporting women entrepreneurs, young people and other vulnerable groups.

Today, the company is working on strengthening its brand even more and expanding its sales to countries outside Bosnia and Herzegovina. By constantly monitoring changes in the market, the company is operating successfully for now.

Marijana explains that the investment in machinery and marketing contributed to increases in their sales. “Through this support, we managed to modernise our production by purchasing special machinery, and hired 10 new workers. We also developed our web shop and webpage so we can reach out to new customers. We have started exporting to the EU,” she Marijana.

RCC launches a campaign to encourage young women and girls across the Western Balkans to choose careers in STEM

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

To encourage young women and girls to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths), the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) has launched a campaign called “Choose STEM Future”. The campaign presents role models of successful women in STEM professions from the Western Balkans and was created as part of the regional Women in STEM Network, a joint initiative of the RCC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“65% of today’s children will one day work in a job that does yet not exist. By 2030, between 40 and 160 million women will need to have transitioned into roles requiring more complex digital, social, and emotional skills. Globally, in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, only one in five professionals is a woman. Growing and adapting our own skills and being up to date with new technologies is incredibly important for youngsters – women in particular – and so is staying creative and open-minded, as their future job might not exist just yet. So, if you want to have better job choices, to earn more and live better, like Anica, Anila, Jana, Jasminka, Valentina, and Zana, whom you’ll meet in the stories we’ll share with you in the coming days, Choose STEM Future. That is the best advice I can give you,” said RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu announcing the start of the “Choose STEM future” campaign.

“To be young in Serbia” exhibition opens

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The exhibition of the 20 best photos created as part of the “To be young in Serbia” contest was opened in Silosi in Belgrade. The photos show how young people live in Serbia, what they hope for and what they see in the world around them, says the EU Ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, noting that 2022’s numerous challenges are also shown through the lens.

 

A five-member jury selected four winners from over 1,000 photos submitted to the competition, which was organised by the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, National Geographic Serbia, Politikin Zabavnik and Erasmus Student Network Serbia. This is one of the activities with which the EU Delegation in Serbia joined the celebration of the European Year of Youth 2022.

 

The winning photo was awarded with a €1,000 euro voucher for the purchase of electronic equipment, with a voucher for €500 for second place, and a €300 voucher for the third prize. The photographer who took the best picture of an EU project was awarded a diploma.

YEAs from Serbia attend New Year celebration party organised by Belgrade EU Info Centre

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On 13 January Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) from Serbia attended the New Year celebration party organised by the EU Info Centre in Belgrade. The party was also the occasion for YEAs to meet Emanuele Giaufret, the EU Ambassador to Serbia, and to visit the exhibition “To be young in Serbia”. It was followed by the award ceremony organised by the EU Delegation to Serbia with National Geographic Serbia, Politikin Zabavnik and the Erasmus Student Network Serbia.

 

This event concluded 2022 as the European Year of Youth and ushered in 2023, the European Year of Skills.

Putting more seats at the table

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

How a European Investment Bank grant has supported a Montenegrin furniture business to recover from COVID-19.

The economic impact of COVID-19 has been severe for small businesses everywhere. In Montenegro, financial help from the European Investment Bank, the EU bank, has made a big difference. “It was particularly important for retaining the liquidity of economy and jobs,” says Irena Radović, chief executive of the Investment and Development Fund of Montenegro, which teamed up with the European Investment Bank to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). “It was also crucial for development projects that contribute to the creation of new economic value and the recovery of our economy in the post-pandemic period.”

“The pandemic was a difficult time for all businesses, including us.”

One of the businesses that was supported through this fund was the furniture company Doding. Doding has been producing custom-made furniture for almost three decades and has grown from a small family business to an enterprise with over 90 employees. The company started in 1998 with the production of furniture to measure, using laminated materials, particleboard and wood. Since then, the company has grown and now also handles large-scale projects like hotels, residential complexes and business premises. The company employs experts in the fields of architecture, design, furniture manufacturing, sales, technology, production, marketing and finances. In addition to two production plants, Doding has showrooms in City Kvart, Podgorica and Radanovići, where their design and production capacities are presented through interior design and furniture.

The company is run by architect Ana Pejović, along with her construction engineer husband, Branko. Their company is constantly growing and when the COVID-19 pandemic started they were planning to invest further in technology. However, as Ana explains, the fall in revenues together with the uncertainties caused by the pandemic prevented them from further investment. “The pandemic was a difficult time for all businesses, including us,” says Ana.

However, just at that time they heard about an opportunity for a favourable loan provided by the Investment and Development Fund of Montenegro with the support of European Investment Bank, the EU’s lending arm. They applied and were granted a loan through which they purchased a computerised and technologically highly advanced CNC cutter as well as a computerised furniture painting unit based on the latest technology.

“This support was hugely important as it helped to keep our business steady through difficult times.”

About the project

Montenegrin small businesses can continue to rely on the European Investment Bank for support on their path to a modern, digital, green and circular economy. The Bank’s presence is now enhanced through its new branch, EIB Global.

The proof of this is the €100 million deal with the Investment Development Fund for climate-friendly and energy-efficient investments by local SMEs signed since 2021. It unlocks a new source of much-needed climate and environmental sustainability financing to fast-track the decarbonisation of the local economy and its decoupling from fossil fuels.

Ana explains that these two machines were a great help for the further sustainable growth of their business in the difficult pandemic and post-pandemic times. “This support was hugely important as it helped to keep our business steady through difficult times,” she says.

Now, apart from their regular activities, the company is working on the introduction of a new product line called Doding Outdoor, which will offer garden and beach furniture. For this they are working on an innovative and environmentally-friendly approach where they are planning to use wood leftovers from their main production activities. Doding’s plans include further expansion in the regional and EU market. Although they already have international clients, they want to increase company exports and become a regional brand.