“Support to micro and small-sized enterprises, and to young people who have the ability and potential to start their own businesses is a shared priority of the European Union (EU), the Government of Serbia and the City of Novi Pazar," said Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport on the occasion of awarding grant agreements to 22 young entrepreneurs from 14 municipalities in the southeast and southwest of the country. The EU and the Swiss government, through the development programme European PROGRES, allocated 183,307 Euros with a view to encouraging entrepreneurship among young people.
“The small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU countries play a leading role in the economy, job creation, and drive economic growth. The European Union, through programmes such as European PROGRES, provides support precisely to this sector, as well as to you, young people, for the implementation of your entrepreneurial ideas", said Ambassador Davenport, adding that this type of support will continue in the future.
The Mayor of Novi Pazar, Nihat Biševac, said that one of the key problems in the city was unemployment, as was it in the rest of the country, and expressed his gratitude to the European Union and the Government of Switzerland for their contribution to the solution of this problem through projects of this type.
"In terms of average age of its population, Novi Pazar is the youngest city in Serbia and that is why I am particularly glad that 22 young people will mark the beginning of their entrepreneurial careers right here," added Biševac and particularly congratulated three young entrepreneurs from Novi Pazar.
Vladimir Prokopović, who has returned to Leskovac from Germany and will launch production of detergents and home care cleaning products aligned with environmental standards, thanked the donors on behalf of future young entrepreneurs who received equipment through European PROGRES to launch their businesses.
During his visit to the Footwear Fair organized by the "NP Shoes" cluster, Ambassador Davenport said that Novi Pazar was well-known for its long tradition in the production of textiles, furniture and shoes, but that there also were major economic challenges, such as the unemployment problem that could be mitigated by strengthening micro and small businesses.
“Support to micro and small-sized enterprises is important because they constitute the basis and the prospects for development, and open up opportunities for new jobs," said Davenport, adding that the project supported by the EU and the Swiss government through European PROGRES has offered new possibilities for the footwear industry, introduced new production technologies and improved the design of footwear.
A particularly important thing is that local manufacturers have joined their forces, improved knowledge and matched their supply to the demand through the project, thus boosting their competitiveness in the market.
The "NP Shoes" cluster has brought together five Novi Pazar companies which, with the support of the EU and the Swiss Government amounting to around 40,000 Euros through European PROGRES, received modern software for footwear design, acquired new skills and produced 40 new models of shoes presented at the Fair.
"We are proud of our local products and well-known in the country as leaders in the production of clothing and footwear. Now is the time to become recognized beyond our borders, on the European and global markets, and this is a step in that direction," said the Mayor of Novi Pazar.
During his stay in Novi Pazar, the Head of the EU Delegation presented the National Library "Dositej Obradović" with an Euteka shelf, specially designed and equipped with books and publications on the European Union.
"The public library "Dositej Obradović" today became part of the Euteka network, which consists of 47 libraries in Serbia, where Serbia’s citizens will have an opportunity to find out more about the European Union as such, and about the process of Serbia's EU accession," said Davenport.
The Director of the Library, Elijas Rebronja, recalled that the Novi Pazar library was one of the first in Serbia to join this initiative back in 2014, and that citizens of Novi Pazar were thus able to find on the shelf, which back then was called "Serbia in the EU", 16 publications about the European Union in Serbian.
After the meeting of the EU Head of Delegation with the Mayor of Novi Pazar Nihat Biševac it was said that the EU would continue to support the development of the City, and Ambassador Davenport said he was encouraged by the fact that the development of the SME sector was a priority for the City.
The European Union and the Swiss Government financed the implementation of over 70 projects over the past decade, worth almost 3.5 million Euros, in infrastructure, technical documentation and planning, utility services and social inclusion.
The Head of the EU Delegation concluded the first day of his visit to southwest Serbia with separate meetings with the President of the Meshihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia, Head Mufti Mevlud Dudić, Sead Nasufović, Reis of the Islamic Community of Serbia, as well as with the members of the Presidency of the Bosniac National Council.
During the second day of his visit, on 3 November, Davenport will visit Nova Varoš and Priboj.
