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Author: WeBalkans

EU Investigative Journalism Award Winners for 2022 announced at the EU Western Balkans Media Conference in Tirana

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

On 10 November, during the EU Western Balkans Media Conference in Tirana, the winners of the EU investigative journalism award were announced. The jury comprised media experts, some of them from the project consortium and others from the extensive network of the project consortium members, includimg editors, members of academia and distinguished journalists.  
The call for EU investigative journalism award was open for awards for investigative stories published during 2021 related to freedom of expression, the rule of law, transparency, abuse of power, fundamental rights, corruption and organised crime.  
Individuals or groups of journalists were invited to apply with their stories in any journalism forms (print, online, radio and TV), published or broadcast in the media in each country in official, minority or international languages. The award fund in each of the six Western Balkans countries and Turkey was made up of €5,000 for the first prize, €3,000 for the second and €2,000 for the third prize.

20 displaced families receive keys to new homes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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On 11 November, 20 refugee families in Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, celebrated the receipt of keys to their new apartments built under the Regional Housing Programme (RHP).  
In addition to the beneficiaries, the event was attended by Ambassador Daniel Hunn, Switzerland’s representative to BiH; Gianluca Vannini, Head of Operations in the 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, and representatives of other national and international institutions.
 
The Regional Housing Programme is a joint initiative by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. The Programme’s aim is to contribute to the resolution of the protracted displacement situation of the most vulnerable refugees and displaced persons following the 1991-1995 conflicts on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, including internally displaced persons in Montenegro from 1999.  
To raise funds for the RHP, an international donor conference was held in Sarajevo in 2012. On this occasion, the international community pledged €261 million in support of the Regional Housing Programme, of which €230 million was pledged by the European Commission.

The “O-DVA-JA-MO” project for household waste separation launches in Babušnica, Serbia

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On 8 November the municipality of Babušnica organised the promotion of the “O-DVA-JA-MO” Project for Household Waste Separation in cooperation with the Komunalac PUC and the Pirot Regional Landfill.

 

The project was launched in the city park by the Ministry of Environmental Protection with the support of the European Union and the Kingdom of Sweden. The goal of the project is to establish a system for separating waste at the point of origin, for its later successful recycling, reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. This project covers 17 cities and municipalities in Serbia in four regions.

 

The “O-DVA-JA-MO” Project for Household Waste Separation is implemented in all four municipalities of the Pirot district. As part of the project, Babušnica received a modern truck for the transport of recycling waste, 28 containers and 1,348 bins for waste separation.

The “O-DVA-JA-MO” project for household waste separation launches in Bela Palanka, Serbia

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On 9 November, a presentation of the “O-DVA-JA-MO” Project for Household Waste Separation was held at the Banjica Ecological and Recreational Centre. The project is being implemented in the municipality of Bela Palanka in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia with the support of the European Union and the Kingdom of Sweden.

 

The project aims to establish a system for waste separation at the point of origin in 17 municipalities across Serbia by investing in equipment and informing citizens about the advantages of separating household waste for its later successful recycling, and of reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Bela Palanka is part of the project aiming to establish the primary separation of municipal waste in four regions for waste management – Duboko, Pančevo, Pirot and Srem-Mačva.

 

The goal of the “O-DVA-JA-MO” Project for Household Waste Separation is to recycle part of the waste generated in households in order to reduce the amount that ends up in landfills, with the aim of increasing the recycling rate in four regions to 15% in the next two years.

Let There be Light – European Film in Belgrade

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This year’s European Film Festival in Belgrade opened with the screening of the film Let there be light. In the packed stand of the EU Info Centre, the audience watched an interesting production by artists from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Before they had their popcorn, they also had fun participating in a quiz about European cinematography, winning personalised t-shirts and taking photos.

 

“With this festival, we celebrate our shared culture on the big screen,” said the Ambassador of the European Union in Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, at the opening.

 

The potential of cinematography to convey information about Europe and its creativity has been recognised by a large number of EU delegations around the world. Today, more than 90 of the EU’s 139 delegations organise European film festivals, transmitting EU culture, values ​​and stories globally. In 2018, the European Commission started a project to support the creation and improvement of the quality of European film festivals. The project is managed by a consortium formed by the Goethe Institute, the French Institute and Cineuropa, a portal for promoting European cinematography.

 

The Belgrade audience will be able to watch some of the best recent works of European cinematography until Saturday at the EU Info Centre, between 18.00 and 20.00.

34th WBIF Project Financiers’ Group (PFG) Meeting, 11 November 2022

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On 11 November, the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) held its 34th Project Financiers’ Group Meeting (PFG) virtually. The meeting co-chaired by EC-NEAR and EIB, was attended by over 100 participants from the European Commission, financial institutions (EIB, EBRD, CEB, KfW, WBG, AFD, EIF and IFC), the bilateral donors and all six Western Balkan beneficiaries.

 

The meeting started with a presentation of the balance of the EWBJF by EBRD and of the outcomes of the screening and assessment of TA Round 28 and the INV Round 7. In response to the energy crisis, INV Round 7 had an extended deadline for energy projects addressing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy generation. All in all, 12 INV grant applications for a total grant consideration of €390 million were screened and assessed positively. Half of these flagship investments address renewable energy generation, in response to the current energy crisis. Five TA grant applications for a total grant consideration of €10.4 million were also screened and assessed positively.

 

The selected INV and TA grant applications will be submitted for endorsement by the WBIF Strategic and Operational Board at the 3rd SOB Meeting on 5 December 2022, where the 2nd Call for Private Sector blending will also be launched.

 

Finally, the WBIF Key Achievements 2021 (Annual Report) and “Hard milestone” table of key EIP INV projects were presented. A review meeting was announced for the 18 November where EC-NEAR, IFIs and the beneficiaries will review project progress and discuss the implementation targets for 2023, identify bottlenecks and agree on strategies and concrete actions how to address them.

The “Hope” railway between North Macedonia and Bulgaria will be completed with the EU support

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The remaining part of the long-awaited railway connection between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, which has had several attempts over the past three decades, has finally started to be built with the EU support, as part of the Pan-European Corridor VIII, connecting to the Orient/East-Med Corridor on Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).  
The project was identified as a Flagship project within the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.  
The modern railway will connect the two countries, also creates a regional linking of the Adriatic Sea ports in Albania with the Black Sea ports in Bulgaria, opens opportunities for the economy, the business community, opens new European routes that are of exceptional importance for the economy and in general for the cooperation of the region.  
It will ease the travel of the citizens of both countries, as there is a lack of direct air lines, at the same time providing more ecological transport.

Marija Burgieva

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

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: Environment, International Relations

Hi! I am Marija, an international politics and diplomacy student from Skopje.

But this is not all that I am. Since I was 13, I wanted to contribute to my community in the same way it helped me throughout my life’s struggles. Therefore, I started volunteering and I became an activist on human rights and civic responsibility, and it opened up a whole new world of possibilities and knowledge. I went on youth exchanges, training courses, academies, workshops – you name it, I have probably done it! However, the biggest issue I am facing every day is environmental protection and restoration. It has motivated me to find innovative solutions to local problems and awaken the entrepreneurial spirit within me so today I am a social entrepreneur: CEO of O-krug, a circular business that turns orange peel waste into products while employing marginalized youth; CMO of Mamaorgana, a social startup that tackles the food waste problem; and co-founder of eco-habitat.com, the first Macedonian platform for eco-friendly and biodegradable products.

One of my favourite authors and political activists, Helen Keller, said:
‘Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much!’

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Ana Marija Jovanova

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: Health and Sustainability, Media, Arts and Culture

Ana Marija Jovanova is a physiotherapist from North Macedonia. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy at Goce Delcev University in Štip and studied through the Erasmus+ program at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Portugal. Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Kinesiology, focusing on rehabilitation and innovative physiotherapy approaches. She is a certified youth worker and trained in the ProfilPASS competency assessment methodology, with experience supporting young people in their personal and professional development. As a Young European Ambassador, Ana Marija aims to promote European values, encourage youth participation, and support initiatives focused on health, well-being, and social inclusion.

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Martin Nikolovski

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: EU integration, Human rights

My name is Martin Nikolovski. I am 25 years old and I come from the third biggest city in North Macedonia – Bitola. By profession, I am a graduated journalist from Haci Bayram Veli University in Ankara, Turkey, and I currently work as a reporter for the national channel TV 21 in Skopje. At the same time, I am enrolled in a master’s programme at the Institute for Communication Studies in Skopje, studying Strategic Communications Management. Being part of the civil sector since primary school, I have participated in numerous projects, youth exchanges and training through Erasmus+ and other programs. Since 2017, I have been the founder and President of the Association for International Cooperation Interaktiv – Bitola. 

In my work, I often write stories about the European Union, about Macedonian challenges towards becoming a full EU member, as well as the benefits we have as a candidate country. I believe in European values and I would love to see North Macedonia in that family.



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