Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Oscar Benedict, together with 16 representatives of European countries, ended the three-day visit to South West Serbia in Ivanjica Municipality. The delegation visited the kindergarten in local community Bukovica, which was built and equipped with the support of the European Union, Swiss Government and Serbian Government.
“I am happy to see that the projects funded by the EU in South West Serbia have an impact on the lives of the population. This project of constructing and equipping the kindergarten has also justified its purpose, because today it is a safe and comfortable place for 180 children,” Deputy Head of the EU Delegation said.
Benedict stressed that this project was a good example of continued support and cooperation of the European Union with the municipalities in Serbia, because the technical documentation for the kindergarten was prepared in 2009 through PRO Programme funded by the EU and Switzerland. It was the timely preparation of the technical documentation, as a prerequisite for any further intervention, which enabled Ivanjica municipality to receive funds from the Serbian Government for construction, after which the kindergarten was equipped using European Union and Swiss Government funds through EU PROGRES.
Deputy Head of Mission of the Netherlands Embassy in Belgrade, Marielle Van Miltenburg, said that the Netherlands, holding the EU presidency until the end of June, strongly supported Serbia on its path towards membership.
“European Union has been providing financial assistance to Serbia, and during this visit to the municipalities Raška, Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Ivanjica, embassy representatives have had the opportunity to see how the local government has made the effort to use the funds from EU donations in the right way,” said Deputy Head of Netherlands’ Mission.
“This is why we hope this sort of cooperation will also continue in the future,” she added and recalled that European Union and Swiss Government through European PROGRES development programme supported the development of 34 municipalities in South East and South West Serbia, with over EUR 24 million.
At the meeting of the delegation with Ivanjica Mayor, Milomir Zorić, it was stressed that Ivanjica had successfully cooperated with the development programmes funded by the EU in the last ten years, PRO, EU PROGRES and now European PROGRES, and that the EU supported the development of planning documents that should provide conditions for the development of the mountain Golija, with the greatest potential for tourism not only in the region, but the entire country.
Delegation members visited the Church of St. Achillius in Arilje and the Sopoćani Monastery, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and Oscar Benedict expressed his satisfaction at the visit to a place of such spirituality and art. “In addition to the European Union investing in Serbia, we would also like to learn about the cultural and historical heritage of the country,” said Benedict.
The European Union, together with the Swiss Government, has been continuously supporting the development of South West Serbia, investing over ten million Euro in over 250 projects in the last ten years. During the three-day visit, the delegation of 16 deputy Ambassadors of European countries led by the Deputy Head of EU Delegation, Oscar Benedict, saw the projects helping the development of infrastructure, supporting competitiveness of local economies and creating new jobs, as well as improving social inclusion and good governance in Raška, Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Ivanjica.
