Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Oscar Benedict, announced today in Novi Pazar that the European Union and the Government of Switzerland provided EUR 250,000 through the development programme European PROGRES for completion of the project pertaining to the regulation of the Raska river flow for the purposes of flood protection. The funds will be used for the construction of five new mini dams, afforestation of 50 h of land and bio-technical works.
“We expect that the works that should begin during August will be completed by the end of the year. This project will additionally strengthen the protection of the Novi Pazar citizens and their property from floods,” said Mr Benedict who visited the dam on Izbička river on the second day of his visit to South West Serbia together with 16 Deputy Ambassadors of the EU countries. The dam is one of the nine dams, built on the Raška river basin with funds provided by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland through the previous development programme - EU PROGRES, that saved Novi Pazar from floods in 2014.
The delegation led by Mr Benedict visited the School for Textile and Leather Design in Novi Pazar that, owing to financial support of the European Union and the Government of Switzerland through the previous development programme EU PROGRES, acquired modern machines for sewing, tailoring and other teaching aids. In that way, the regular curriculum for students was improved and additional education and training for adults was also made possible so that as qualified labour they could find jobs more easily in the textile, footwear and clothes industry in Novi Pazar, Raška, Sjenica and Tutin.
It was announced at the delegation’s meeting with the newly elected mayor of Novi Pazar Nihat Biševac, that the European Union would continue supporting the development of the city and the whole area, as it had already done throughout the last decade, when the EU and the Swiss Government in partnership with the Government of Serbia supported over 70 projects worth almost EUR 3.5 million.
During these meetings Oscar Benedict emphasised that the representatives of the EU Delegation and embassies of the member states were visiting South West Serbia in order to get better insight into the current political and socio-economic developments.
He added that the EU would address the new Government of Serbia concerning the development plans for the local self-governments and continue with their support to the economic development of this region.
The delegation also met with the president of the Bosniak National Council, Sulejman Ugljanin, as well as the president of Meshihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia, the chief mufti Mevlud Dudić.
The delegation will also visit the Sopoćani monastery, and on the third day of their visit to the South West, on the 2 June, the delegation of Deputy Ambassadors will visit the municipality of Ivanjica.
