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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia expects support for opening clusters by end year

Belgrade/Paris, 12 November 2021

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today in Paris that she expects positive news and support from France for opening one or two clusters at the intergovernmental conference to be held in December.

At the press conference, Brnabic stated that she talked with French President Emanuel Macron about the situation in Serbia, primarily in the context of European integration, i.e., whether we can count on the country's support for opening a cluster at the December intergovernmental conference.

We have two clusters ready for opening, so I expect positive news and support from France for one or both clusters, but certainly significant support, the Prime Minister said.

She pointed out that Macron told her to convey greetings to the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic, and the whole of Serbia, as well as that he remembers his visit to Belgrade with great joy.

Today, I had good talks with the President of Cyprus, but also with the President of Slovenia, with whom I also talked about European integration, i.e., the country's support, which is clear and unambiguous for opening a cluster and further progress of Serbia towards full EU membership, regional relations and regional cooperation, said Brnabic.

She stated that she also talked with EU High Representative Josep Borrell in Paris.

There were interesting and good talks, it seems to me that we have done good things for our country and I expect it to continue today, the Prime Minister concluded.

At the same time, Brnabic announced that our country will host a meeting on science and sustainable development of UNESCO in September 2022, which it will organise in cooperation with that organisation.

As she explained, this is the largest gathering of UNESCO dedicated to one of the most important topics for sustainable development and further economic growth and progress, but in accordance with the goals of sustainable development of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

The role and actions of UNESCO, as an organisation that has existed for 75 years, are now more necessary than ever before, the Prime Minister assessed and added that Serbia is continuously making efforts to achieve visible and sustainable results in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Our country strives to position itself as a leader in the development of artificial intelligence, she pointed out and emphasized that by the end of 2022, we will have a warehouse of all scientific production from Serbia with free access.

Brnabic pointed out that she is proud of that and that she is honoured to be able to lead the country, which, as she said, has become a regional leader in artificial intelligence, respecting the guidelines and principles of ethics in this area.

Expressing satisfaction with the fact that the global recommendation on ethics in artificial intelligence will be adopted, she reminded that the government has adopted the Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence for the period 2020-2025 to enable the use of artificial intelligence to promote economic growth and employment and enable a better life for citizens.

Also, as she mentioned, Serbia has especially focused on investments in rural areas, with the goal of covering almost 100% of its territory with high-speed internet by 2025.

Our country has established a National Academy for Public Administration, where civil servants can learn new skills, the Prime Minister pointed out and reminded that Serbia has started with the introduction of IT training and digital writing courses, and has opened a dozen national training centres to reduce the differences that exist in the labour market.

Brnabic stated that she fully supports the adoption of the Recommendation on Open Science, stating that Serbia has established portals on open data and open science, as well as to introduce the concept of e-science.

The Prime Minister said that it is the responsibility of all member states to preserve the principles of consensus and constructive and open dialogue on all issues, which are under the mandate of UNESCO.

Sharing and recognising the world vision and leadership of UNESCO, Serbia stands as a reliable partner, strongly committed to the mandate and values of UNESCO, she concluded.