The Steering Committee of European PROGRES development programme has approved today at its meeting in Prolom Banja funds amounting to 106,000 Euros for the implementation of two infrastructure projects, of which 50,000 euros has been allocated for the development of technical documentation for the reconstruction of the General Hospital ward in Vranje, while 56,000 euros will be invested in the renovation of the elementary school
"Stojan Novaković“ in Blace.
The creation of technical preconditions for the reconstruction of the current pavilion type hospital in Vranje opens up the possibility for further investment, and provision of better health care to 250,000 people living in the Pčinja District. The project in Blace is related to the replacement of old flooring in the primary school and is supposed to contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning conditions for 680 pupils of this school.
While presenting the results that the programme achieved in the previous quarter, it was assessed that the effects of project activities were already tangible, among which the most prominent the progress is made in the field of infrastructure. More specifically, 40 main designs prepared with the support of European PROGRES can attract potential investments worth 29 million euros. So far, 15 local self-governments have applied to different state institutions with these projects in order to obtain funding for works, and four municipalities have already received donations amounting to more than 1.5 million euros.
When congratulating to the representatives of the 34 Programme municipalities on the results achieved so far, Ursula Läubli, Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office, highlighted in particular the progress made in the area of ​​good governance, and added that such diligent work on the adoption and implementation of these principles should continue into the future as well, all in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by all local self-governments in November 2015.
"The Swiss Government is committed to continuing its support to local self-governments in Serbia, and the better the results you achieve by the end of European PROGRES, the more certain this support and, more importantly, the higher the benefits for the population will be," pointed Ursula Läubli. In addition, she also called on all the partners to invest maximum efforts to successfully complete the Programme.
Graeme Tyndall, European PROGRES Programme Manager, stressed the importance of supporting entrepreneurship, which has also produced good results.
"So far, the Programme has facilitated the launch of 79 businesses owned by women, young people, and members of vulnerable groups, while the newly established businesses, in sequence, have hired nearly 100 new employees in the first months of their activity," said Tyndall.
The support to local tax administrations in 16 municipalities, which was aimed at improving efficiency of operations and updating the taxpayer database, also shows, according to the undertaken analyses, that the municipalities will increase revenues by 11 percent on average.
The European Union and the Government of Switzerland have supported 248 projects through European PROGRES, which contribute to the social and economic development of 34 local self-governments in South East and South West Serbia, and 136 projects have already been completed.
