EU to provide EUR 10 million for upgrade of infrastructure in local self-governments in Serbia

The development program EU PRO has placed four public calls for an upgrade of infrastructure in 99 local self-governments in the regions of Sumadija, western, southern and eastern Serbia, for which the European Union has set aside EUR 10 million.

Through these public calls, local self-governments will have the opportunity to design and realize projects pertaining to an upgrade of public and business infrastructure, as well as the preparation of planning and technical documentation, says the press release of the EU PRO program.

Through this invitation, the EU will support the construction and reconstruction of public facilities and educational, healthcare and welfare institutions with over EUR 5.2 million, thereby directly influencing the enhancement of the quality of life.

On the other hand, by applying to this invitation, worth EUR 3.7 million, local self-governments will have the opportunity to attract new investments by equipping industrial zones, technology parks, or tourist destinations, thereby contributing to the economic growth and the creation of new jobs in the long term.

The invitation for financing the preparation of the technical documentation for business infrastructure project, in the amount of EUR 300,000, whereby conditions are created for infrastructural equipping of locations for the realization of new investments, will be open for a year.

Furthermore, the public call for the preparation of planning documentation, for which donations of EUR 750,000 have been set aside, is meant to support projects of preparation of detail regulation plans, which encompass areas with potential to generate economic activity.

These are the first activities of the EU PRO program, through which the EU is to provide EUR 25 million of support to local development in the next three years, and which will be realized by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

– The European Union, through the EU PRO program and the calls placed, confirms its support to Serbia and a more evenly distributed development of the region, with special focus on improving the competitiveness of local self-governments. We recognize the need to increase the investments in public and business infrastructure locally, because it has a direct impact on the quality and the standard of living, which is precisely our goal – said Head of EU Delegation to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi.

Graeme Tyndall, manager of EU PRO, said that, through the realization of the projects, the local self-governments “will have the opportunity to upgrade the knowledge and skills they will find useful in carrying out future projects financed by donors, primarily the EU”.

He added that the strengthening of local self-governments was also an important segment of the total economic development of the country.

In order to explain the terms of the contest and the manner of application, EU PRO will hold informative sessions from May 8 through 18 for all interested local self-governments, whereas the details of all invitations and the time and the place of the session will be published over the next several days.

UNOPS, Beograd

EU PRO

upgrade of infrastructure in local self governments

upgrade of business infrastructure in local self governments

Sumadija

United Nations Office for Project Services

UNOPS

Sem Fabrizi

Graeme Tyndall

local development

regional development