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Author: WeBalkans

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

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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

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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.

Commission publishes report on health and wellbeing of musicians

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In the context of its “Music Moves Europe” initiative, the European Commission has published the report “The Health and Wellbeing of Professional Musicians and Music Creators in the EU – insights from research for policy and practice”. The report reveals that the health and well-being of professional musicians and music creators in the EU is vulnerable to several risk factors and that action on many fronts is needed in order to protect them.

 

While the report highlights the main risks for the physical and mental health of professional musicians and music creators, it also gives examples of successful interventions and actions (policies and practices) from several EU Member States to address these risks. It distils key policy lessons from research and provides recommendations for policies and practices that can improve the physical and mental health and safety of musicians and music creators in the EU. In terms of education, prevention and treatment.

Tell us your European heritage story – new funding call for European Heritage Days 2023

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European Heritage Stories is a grant initiative for innovative projects developed by local communities across Europe.  It is organised by the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

 

The European Heritage Days are events which bring European citizens together to celebrate, share and support the work being undertaken by communities in Europe. Their pan-European nature helps highlight cultural heritage’s European dimension and value. With the European Heritage Stories, communities across the continent are invited to share their special stories about Europe’s cultural heritage.

 

The deadline for applications is 28 February 2023. Interested applicants can submit their application in English or French.

Ambassador Sattler meets FBiH Association of Employers to discuss growth and competitiveness reforms

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On 12 January 2023 the Head of EU Delegation/EU Special Representative to BiH H.E. Johann Sattler met with the President, the Director and a group of Members of the Federation BiH Association of Employers. The objective of the meeting was to exchange information on the current developments and ongoing/upcoming initiatives by both the EU Office in BiH and the Association, to overcome the main obstacles to enhanced growth, increased competitiveness and to reverse the trends of emigration and labour shortages. Ambassador Sattler underlined that the granting of EU candidate status to BiH presents newly formed authorities with opportunities to tackle longstanding challenges and implement key reforms.  
All participants to the meeting agreed that insufficient economic growth, stagnating per capita income and high official unemployment – accompanied by labour shortages in some key sectors – represent the key challenges that BiH businesses are facing nowadays. Global disturbances that spurred inflation are further exacerbating these problems that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency, including through legislative changes at various government levels. Additional changes are needed to further strengthen the business environment, including through targeted interventions in specific sectors, including wood and dairy industry, transportation services etc.  
It was agreed that in pursuing reforms, which need to be inclusive and take into account EU integration requirements, the EU Office in BIH and the employers will cooperate and meet more frequently, in order to discuss and develop reform proposals that would – once adopted and implemented – improve the country’s economic well-being and bring BiH closer to the EU.

The journey of a hard-working Roma woman providing for her son who was born with a disability

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An EU-funded project supports returnees’ reintegration in the Western Balkans.

For 25 years, Blerta Lushnjari from Albania went back and forth between Albania and other countries, motivated by securing proper healthcare for her son. Antonio was born with a disability and has a complex mix of conditions and Blerta’s hometown, Elbasan, had neither capacities for a proper diagnosis nor provision of free medical services for people with disabilities. With Blerta’s economic situation, it was impossible for her to pay private doctors.

Without a proper diagnosis, it was scary. Blerta was unable to care for Antonio properly without knowing the therapies or medicines that could help alleviate his pain. Nor did she know how to provide for decent living in the future. In the search for better medical attention, they again went abroad, finally managing to get the diagnosis – paraplegia and mild intellectual disability – and secure proper care. However, without settled status, they had to return home to Albania. “When we were abroad, the doctor visited Antonio once a week and he had physiotherapy. But when we came to Albania, there was no such service: nothing at all. So his condition deteriorated.”

“Life was harder. I couldn’t feed my children. Homeless, I was moving between relatives: one week at one person’s house and the next at another’s.”

Many people from the Western Balkans go abroad for work opportunities, but the Roma face particular challenges reintegrating when they return. The most common challenge reported by returnees in the region, including Albania, is employment, followed by lack of decent housing and access to education. In Albania, there was no social protection programme targeting returnees specifically. Back in Elbasan, Blerta was without a home or work, and now had two children to support. Lack of formal education made it difficult for her to find profitable work, and posed challenges for the paperwork needed for a stable life. “Life was harder. I couldn’t feed my children. Homeless, I was moving between relatives: one week at one person’s house and the next one at another’s,” says Blerta.

Despite all the challenges, Blerta was still full of the positive energy which is apparent in the warmth of care for her family: her main goal was to fulfil all her children’s needs. She joined many NGO activities developed for women and their integration in society, and was particularly involved with a vocational training programme for women returnees. The project was called “Strengthening national and local systems to support the effective socio-economic integration of returnees in the Western Balkans”, funded by the EU and implemented by UNDP. Mirjeta Ramizi from UNDP Albania explains that Blerta has been actively involved in many project activities. One of the activities was a business idea for production and marketing of natural handmade soap. Along with other women, Blerta was trained in this craft and provided with raw material and marketing assistance. This income-generating activity is in its initial stages and is running well but, according to Mirjeta, the ladies have higher ambitions, and their newly founded company is looking to expand their market.

As an ambitious and hardworking woman, Blerta also joined another programme, focused on the development of individual business ideas. Since she returned to Albania, she had been making a living through the repair and resale of second-hand goods. Now, with the support of the project, she is planning to turn this part-time activity into a fully developed business. The project is helping her to develop a business plan for opening premises or a trailer-like mobile shop to sell the second-hand goods.

“Through this project we established effective local and national partnerships and drew attention to the needs and challenges of vulnerable communities and returnees.”

About the project

The “Strengthening national and local systems to support the effective socio-economic integration of returnees in the Western Balkans” project is part of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) II Multi-Country Action Programme entrusted to UNDP, the World Bank and the Council of Europe, to support the fundamental rights of Roma and other vulnerable returnees, in Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. The project addresses the reintegration of the significant number of returnees from the EU during recent years, since the Western Balkans countries were declared “safe countries of origin”. The project works closely with local institutions responsible for providing services for the reintegration of returnees, with a focus on those from Roma and Egyptian ethnic minorities, as well as with local civil society actors and the local business community. The community of returnees is considered both a beneficiary and a partner during the implementation, aiming to create ownership of the activities by the returnees themselves.

In Albania the project is providing support in the municipalities of Berat, Devoll, and Fier, where the number of returnees is higher than in other municipalities. Apart from direct assistance to the returnees, which is implemented in cooperation with partner NGOs, the project also provides support to Albania’s local and central government in developing strategies and action plans to address the needs of returnees. Mirjeta from UNDP explains that the economic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and earlier crises caused by the COVID 19 pandemic have shifted the attention of government into these immediate issues. “Through this project we established effective local and national partnerships and drew attention to the needs and challenges of vulnerable communities and returnees,”she says.

Blerta’s son, now 17, is doing much better. He receives regular physiotherapy at home and at a local centre, supported through a UNDP project with EU and Sustainable Development Goal Fund financing. He has access to better medical care and is still surrounded by a loving family who give attention to his development and care. Blerta’s daughter Leje, now ten, has interest in languages, has won several running medals and loves spending time with her brother. The family still faces struggles with housing though, looking for a home with basic facilities that they can afford. Blerta says, “The biggest dream is to have a house for my two children, so that even when I’m not with them, they will be organised and live a decent life.”

Judicial reform for stable institutions in Serbia

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Judicial reform is important for the citizens of Serbia because it will bring about a more autonomous judiciary and independent prosecution service, and the rule of law remains the main pillar of Serbia’s European integration, said EU Ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, at the final public debate on the set of judicial laws. “The implementation of the law will be the focus of the European Union and the full implementation of these laws will bring progress to Serbia. We also expect Serbia to adopt the recommendations made by the Venice Commission on the proposals of these laws so that we can say that the legal solutions are fully in line with European standards and practices,” said Giaufret.  
The EU Ambassador added that the Venice Commission said that for real change, a change in political and legal culture is also needed. While political and judicial authorities have a primary responsibility, civil society organisations and citizens, also have an important role to play.  
The public consultation process on judicial laws was held within the “EU for support of judicial reform” project, which has been implemented in Serbia by the Council of Europe and the European Union since 2022.