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Author: WeBalkans

€263 million of EU grants for seven projects in Serbia

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The European Union recently launched a new energy support package for the Western Balkans which Serbia will benefit from in particular. Ranging from support for vulnerable households and businesses to mitigate the hike in energy prices, to a plan for a new power plant and a wind farm, the plans are wide-ranging and will materialise soon in Serbia and the region.  
Serbia and the EU have agreed a set of seven new projects on energy, the environment and transport infrastructure. This constitutes the biggest investment of the EU in Serbia dedicated to a green economy. The Operation Board of the EU and its Western Balkan Investment Framework co-financed by member states approved €263 million of EU grants for seven projects in Serbia. The approved EU grants complement loan funding from the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the German Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), as well as national contributions from Serbia. The funds are a continuation of donations from the European Union to support the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, and constitute elements of the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan.  
These new projects will directly and positively impact the quality of life across Serbia by improving connectivity and reducing unnecessary emissions and environmental degradation. With this €263 million EU investment, substantial economic growth will be enabled by the creation of new business opportunities and jobs in local communities.  
On 6 December, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, presented the Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana. The donation to Serbia’s energy sector is a part of the €500 million of funds for projects in the Western Balkan energy sector, as announced at the Tirana summit.

Journalist safety index: Montenegro is third in the region

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Montenegro was rated as third in the region in the Journalists’ Safety Index, with a score of 3.40, after North Macedonia (3.95), and Croatia (3.73). Compared to the previous year, the rating for Montenegro is significantly lower (down from 3.59), primarily due to the record number of attacks on journalists. This was explained at the presentation of the Journalist Safety Index of Montenegro for 2021, which was held at Europe House as part of the panel on “The Role of Independent Media in a Democratic Society” organised by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Podgorica.

 

The Western Balkan Journalist Safety Index is a mechanism that measures and monitors changes in the social and political environments that have a direct or indirect impact on the safety of journalists and media professionals while carrying out their profession, and consists of four separate units that reflect the overall picture of journalist safety. Montenegro received the worst ratings in the Real Security category, which also recorded the biggest drop in rating from 3.58 to 3.20 for 2021. The record number of attacks, threats, and pressures on journalists contributed most significantly to this.

EU in Kosovo helps fight corruption, supporting the public information efforts of the Anti-Corruption Agency

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The Anti-Corruption Agency, supported by the European Union in Kosovo, has launched a public information campaign promoting its role in controlling the declaration of assets by officials, preventing conflicts of interest, and investigating whistleblowing reports. The campaign, dubbed “for a corruption-free Kosovo”, calls on the public to report corruption and is being launched following the adoption of new laws that strengthen the mandate of the Agency, giving it additional powers and tasks, including direct sanctioning of officials and corruption-proofing of legislation.  
With the support of the European Union in Kosovo, the campaign will include five videos and a brochure providing information about the mandate of the Agency, ways the public can report corruption, and the fines and sanctions officials and institutions may face if not respecting the law. The EU in Kosovo is working with both legislative and executive institutions to help align Kosovo laws and practices with those of the EU as part of the EU integration process.

BIRN Trains 30 Journalists in Audience Engagement Reporting

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BIRN held a four-day online training course in audience-engagement for 30 journalists from Balkan and Visegrad countries from November 5 to 8. Thirty journalists from ten media outlets were given training in engagement journalism at the workshop held by Ariana Tobin, engagement editor of ProPublica, and BIRN’s experienced trainers and mentors Aleksandra Bogdani, Ana Petruseva, Gyula Csak and Katarina Zrinjski.  
Within the programme, the selected media outlets had an opportunity to participate in training and mentoring in order to bring innovation to their newsrooms, engage communities and develop investigative stories by using the B-engaged tool – a digital tool designed and developed by BIRN for the purpose of audience engagement. The training course, which combined technical skills and editorial knowledge was the first step in the programme to help media outlets develop their engagement stories.  
Audience Engaged Journalism Grants are part of the Media Innovation Europe (MIE)project, funded by the European Commission. The programme is run by the International Press Institute, the Thomson Foundation, the Media Development Foundation and BIRN and is intended to empower media outlets as they navigate the digital transition, giving them journalistic tools and skills in diverse products and business structures in order to reach audiences and bring sustainability.

€1 billion Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

On 6 December 2022, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans, at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana. It consists of€1 billion in EU grants to help the Western Balkans addressing the immediate consequences of the energy crisis and build resilience in the short to medium term.

The first half of the package consists of €500 million in budget support to mitigate the economic and social impact on vulnerable households and SMEs and support the energy transition and security of the region. 90% of the funds will be disbursed already in January 2023, while the rest will follow later in 2023/early 2024 against the successful implementation of national action plans, tackling the energy crisis, by the six Western Balkan partners.

The second half of the package consists of €500 million to advance in energy diversification, renewable energy generation and gas and electricity interconnections through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). The package covers an allocation of €100 million replenishment of the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme (REEP), another €170 million in EU grants for public and private sector blending, and up to €230 million of EU funding for six guarantee schemes supporting the energy sector. Most of this funding package was already approved by the WBIF Operational Board pertaining to Blending on 5 December 2022 in Brussels.

EU invests €91 million in Kosovo railways to help improve connectivity with Europe

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The EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, and Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, marked today in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje the beginning of the EU co-funded works on the rehabilitation and upgrade of 34 kilometres of railway running between Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje and Mitrovicë/a.

 

The total value of works to be conducted over the next 15 months amounts to €68 Million, of which the EU is providing 27, through its Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) the remaining EUR 41 million. “We are now starting to rehabilitate and upgrade the second section of the regional Railway Route 10 in Kosovo which is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and connects Kosovo with the region and the rest of Europe,” said Szunyog.

 

The Railway Route 10 that runs from North Macedonia, over Kosovo, and into Serbia is 256 kilometres long; 148 of those are in Kosovo. The upgrade of the first section from the border with North Macedonia to Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, 66 kilometres long, started in August 2019 and should be completed by the end of 2023, while the preparations for the upgrade of the third section from Mitrovice/a onward are ongoing.

 

The Railway Route 10 was generally in a poor condition with severe structural constraints that limited traffic speeds to 60 km/h. Its rehabilitation is the first major investment in the railway sector in Kosovo and includes the replacement of outdated switches, tracks and sleepers, and the renovation of tunnels and bridges.

Commission publishes new report on culture for sustainable development in EU actions

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The European Commission published on 9 December 2022 a report on the cultural dimension of sustainable development in EU actions.  
The report emphasises the indispensable role that culture plays in the implementation of EU policies, programmes and initiatives related to the UN’s 2030 Agenda on sustainable development. The Commission identifies key areas where it would be strategic to reinforce the collaboration with cultural and creative sectors as to leverage sustainable development. It explains from different perspectives and policies, how uniquely positioned the cultural and creative sectors are to interpret and put in place the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda. The EU Voluntary Review on the implementation of sustainable development goals, to be presented to the UN High-level Forum mid-2023, can benefit from the suggestions contained in the report.  
The report also complements and addresses some of the recommendations of the Open method of coordination (OMC) working group of member states on the cultural dimension of sustainable development, which published its report ‘Stormy times. Nature and humans: cultural courage for change’ on 20 September 2022. It also follows up on the results from UNESCO’s MONDIACULT 2022conference, which called for culture to be included as a specific objective in its own right among the next United Nations Development Goals.

Diellza Ibrahimi

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA of the month.

YEA of the Month November 2022

Diellza is an inspiring young YEA from Kosovo and a volunteer who aspires to create change and make the world a better place.

As a YEA she coordinated this year’s Lake clean up in Kosovo, she participated in many conferences as a YEA and is already a very influential social media activist.

She also leads an online community of almost a million users and works with Support Groups Kosova (an NGO that promotes mental health and aims to connect people with similar experiences). She is studying public administration, political science, and diplomacy.

Two cities short-listed to become European Capital of Culture 2028 in a candidate country

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Budva, Montenegro and Skopje, North Macedonia have been shortlisted in the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028 in an EFTA/EEA country, candidate country or potential candidate. A panel of 10 independent experts recommended the shortlist following a one-day digital meeting. The Commission invited applications from interested cities in December 2021. Budva (Montenegro) and Skopje (North Macedonia) submitted applications by the deadline of 11 November 2022.  
Being shortlisted for the title can result in significant cultural, economic and social benefits for the cities concerned, providing that their bid is part of a longer-term culture-led development strategy. The cities have until the summer 2023 to complete their applications. The panel will meet in September 2023 to recommend one city to become, in 2028, the third European Capital of Culture in an EFTA/EEA country, candidate country or potential country, after Novi Sad (Serbia) in 2022 and Bodo (Norway) in 2024.  
In the same year, there will be two other European Capitals of Culture, one in the Czech Republic (Bromouv and Budweis have been short-listed in October 2022) and one in France (the pre-selection meeting will take place in early March 2023).

EU: Candidate Status – Message of Head of EU Delegation to BiH and EU Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Johann Sattler

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Dear citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina!

 

I am happy to share joy with you that Bosnia and Herzegovina received the candidate status for EU membership!

 

United in diversity is the guiding principle and fundamental value of the EU. Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU rest on the same foundations – the principle “united in diversity” is our common value, strength and treasure.

 

This country is full of energy and talent. Wherever you go in this country, you will find cultural heritage and natural beauty, achievements in arts and sports, innovation and tradition – and most importantly, an unwavering spirit.

 

Candidate status is our sign that we believe in this country and that we share your hopes for a better future. Stronger protection of human rights, more trust, effective fight against corruption, functional public institutions, stronger economy, better health care and education.

 

It is an encouragement for all citizens who know that the path to the EU is the path to a better Bosnia and Herzegovina. But it is also a message to political leaders to turn a new page and implement the necessary reforms that will bring good to the citizens and bring Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to the EU.

 

We know that there are many challenges ahead, but the new political momentum is here. Let’s use it!

 

We believe in this country. A country that has always been in the heart of Europe!