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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

EU sets aside €16m for cross-border cooperation projects

Belgrade, 11 March 2008

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic announced today that from now on the EU will set aside €16 million for cross-border cooperation projects from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

Head of the European Commission delegation to Serbia Josep Lloveras, Bozidar Djelic and Mirko Cvetkovic

Author: Fonet

Djelic told a press conference that in the past four years the EU financed 125 projects with around €11 million and added that it has decided to increase funds since the previous ones were well-spent.

Having recalled that cross-border cooperation is very demanding, he announced that Serbia will soon sign agreements allowing it to use IPA funds, and added that talks in 2009 will begin in late March.

Djelic said that the projects aim to considerably increase funds for improving the human capital, as well as funds for rural and regional development.

He also noted that previous projects proved to be very successful, from the work with young people in Leskovac, to ecotourism in Bor, in other words, specific things which help improve the lives of Serbian citizens who cooperate with their neighbours.

We have established cooperation with Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, and as of this year, we will extend it to Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, specified the Deputy Prime Minister and noted that this shows the true face of the EU, which has been spreading peace among people on the continent ever since the Second World War.

He also announced that the Serbian government will remain on its European road, which citizens voted in the presidential run-off, adding that the goal is EU candidate status for Serbia by the end of the year and the abolishment of visas for its citizens.

According to him, citizens also voted for an increase of IPA funds from the current €199.9 million to several hundred million that we will use primarily for regional development.

Commenting on the future macroeconomic policy of the country, the Deputy Prime Minister said after May 11 the government will clearly steer the country onto European path, provide stability and tell all investors they are welcome, and will be the government able to implement fiscal and monetary policy and provide a one-figure inflation.

An alternative to that is a much higher inflation rate and greater instability, and it is up to our citizens to determine their own future, Djelic said.

He reiterated that there is no dilemma about Serbia’s European future and added that the moment the EU offers Serbia to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) President Boris Tadic will do it.

Minister of Finance Mirko Cvetkovic stated that stability of the budget will be provided regardless of the situation in the country.

We have already adopted the 2008 budget clearly distributing the funds, Cvetkovic said and added that no one should worry whether pensions will be paid or financing for projects.

The conference on EU cross-border cooperation programmes themed "Neighbourly Programmes – Successful Examples in Practice" was organised by the Serbian Ministry of Finance and the European Agency for Reconstruction.