Agreement signed to build wastewater treatment plant in Leskovac - Project worth EUR 24.05 million

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert and Dutch Ambassador Laurent Stokvis signed Tuesday agreements on a donation for a wastewater treatment plant in Leskovac and on the construction of that EUR 24.05 million worth of facility.

The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Minister of Environment Protection Oliver Dulic and Leskovac Mayor Slobodan Kocic.

The EU earlier donated nearly EUR 10.5 million for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Leskovac, the Ministry of Environment contributed EUR 5 million, the City of Leskovac provided EUR 650,000, and the Dutch ambassador signed Tuesday an agreement with Head of the Serbian EU Integration Office Milica Delevic on a EUR 7.9 million donation for the same purpose.

The contractor is Austria's Strabag, with the representatives of which Mr. Degert signed Tuesday an agreement on the commencement of construction.

- We continue to invest in projects all around Serbia. When we talk about the admission to the EU, it does not involve only the talks between Belgrade and the EU, but also the inclusion of entire Serbia - Mr. Degert added.

Dutch Ambassador Laurent Stokvis said that his country had provided EUR 60 million worth of grants over the previous ten years, pointing out that the biggest individual donation had been granted for the facility in Leskovac.

Minister Dulic noted that Leskovac had created conditions to become the largest organic food production zone in Europe.