At the working meeting in the Town Hall in Ruma, where, in addition to the representatives of the hosts, representatives of the municipalities of Irig and Pećinci attended, the possibilities of joint performance in future cross-border cooperation programs were discussed, as well as the exchange of experiences in the field of local and regional development.
The Deputy President of the Municipality of Ruma, Biljana Popović Jovanović, greeted the participants of the meeting and emphasized the importance of continued cooperation with partners from neighboring countries.
“We are glad that the cooperation continues and that there is a mutual desire to further improve it. There are many areas in which we can successfully cooperate cross-border to the benefit of all municipalities and citizens. The cooperation has been good so far, but there is always room for it to be even better and more comprehensive,” said Biljana Popović Jovanović.
Director of the Srem Regional Development Agency, Milan Mirić, emphasized that the topic of the meeting was primarily preparation for new public invitations within the cross-border cooperation program between Serbia and Croatia.
“Our regions are already recognized as areas of good cooperation, and our municipalities have been successfully cooperating with partners from the Republic of Croatia for years. Currently, the implementation of projects from the second public call is underway, and a new tender is expected to be announced, which is one of the reasons for today’s meeting. It is important that the actors start discussions on time and define joint projects,” said Mirić.
He added that the criteria of the European Union are increasingly demanding.
“Today, it is not enough to just have a good idea. A strategic approach is necessary, connecting projects with broader goals of territorial development and European policies. Great emphasis is placed on the green agenda, environmental protection, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, but also on innovation, tourism, culture, education and health. The competition is extremely high and only 15 percent of the total number of projects submitted receive support,” said Mirić.
The Deputy Prefect of Osijek-Baranja County, Vladimir Horvat, assessed that such meetings are important in order to establish new and strengthen existing contacts.
“Our goal is to find common interests and points of contact with the local self-governments in Srem, in order to exchange experiences and knowledge and additionally strengthen cross-border cooperation. This is an area that naturally refers people to each other,” says Horvat.
He reminded that cooperation, especially after Croatia’s entry into the European Union in 2013, was very intense, including trilateral projects of Serbia, Croatia and Hungary, primarily in the areas of infrastructure, tourism and preservation of cultural heritage.
Deputy Prefect of Vukovar-Srem County Srđan Jeremić pointed out that there are significant opportunities for joint use of European funds.
“The Republic of Croatia is a member of the European Union, and Serbia is a part of the CEFTA area, which opens up great opportunities for connecting and creating cross-border projects. The funds that are available refer to numerous areas – from environmental protection and waste management to culture, infrastructure and education. Sremski District and Vukovar-Srem County are territorially referred to each other and we already have a large number of successfully implemented projects between cities, municipalities and institutions on both sides of the border,” said Jeremić.
The participants of the meeting estimated that the continuation of partnership cooperation will contribute to better preparation of projects and better use of European funds, with the aim of improving the lives of citizens on both sides of the Danube.
From: www.ruma.rs
