Conference on the occasion of marking 20 years of work of the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration, Belgrade

On the occasion of marking 20 years of work of the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration Belgrade, which was held in the Ceremonial Hall of the City of Belgrade Assembly, the attendees were addressed by Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, Deputy Mayor of the City of Belgrade Goran Vesić, Director of RAREI Belgrade Snežana Radinović, Director of Emergency Services Goran Čolaković and Director of AMC Branislav Bajić.

Minister Joksimović said that RAREI Belgrade is an inseparable instrument for the European integration process and stressed that sustainable development is one of the priorities for Belgrade, all of Serbia and the whole world. "The topic for all of us at this moment is the Green Agenda in all aspects - circular economy, environmental protection, decarbonization and mobility and sustainable connectivity," Joksimović said. She explained that regional agencies greatly contribute to Serbia's development path towards the EU and to raising the standard of living in the country. According to her, in addition to the political rapprochement of Serbia with the EU, European integration also implies convergence and cohesion - the synergy of uniform development of all regions of Europe. Joksimović emphasized that Serbia strives, not only for standards, but also for economic indicators that support the sustainable development of Serbia. "In this sense, there is also Chapter 22 within the new methodology placed in Cluster Five, which concerns the very important cohesion policy, agricultural policy and resource mapping. Within that Cluster there is Chapter 22 called Cohesion Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments, which means the readiness to absorb all those funds that are available to the country in the process of accession - IPA funds and structural funds for EU members," said Joksimović. She said that the relevant ministry, as well as the Agency, with openness to cooperation between the Government of Serbia and the City, launched a series of projects, which were supported by European funds, in order to raise the standard of living in the country to a higher level. She reminded that these projects relate to the construction of kindergartens, schools, local infrastructure, as well as energy efficiency. She added that the funds also finance projects related to culture, the development of society as a whole, but also the promotion of tourism potential. When it comes to energy efficiency projects, the minister announced that they will include the reconstruction of the emergency building in Belgrade, the student polyclinic and hospital, as well as the city library. She also added that as part of this project, other public buildings throughout Serbia will be renovated, as well as new kindergartens and educational institutions will be built.

Belgrade Deputy Mayor Goran Vesić thanked the Agency for providing support to the domestic economy on the way to European integration for 20 years, but also for helping to implement projects that greatly contribute to improving the quality of life. Vesić pointed out that the City is implementing a number of projects that are aligned with the Green Agenda and green policy. He announced that the plan is to switch all public transport to more environmentally friendly fuels by 2030 - construction of the subway, switching to rail vehicles, procurement of new trams and trolleybuses. In order to raise the standard of living of citizens, the plans include the construction of the Obrenovac-Belgrade transmission line, new sewage networks, as well as the processing of construction waste in Vinča and waste water from the Sava and Danube, said Vesić. According to him, in the capital, the replacement of carpentry, boilers and facades is underway as part of energy efficiency projects. He emphasized that in the coming period, Belgrade will be recognizable for its river transport, which will also make life easier for citizens, but also significantly reduce the emission of harmful gases.

Director Snežana Radinović pointed out that RAREI Belgrade has been the key bearer of the development processes of the city of Belgrade as a European region for two decades. In the past twenty years, RAREI Belgrade provided strong support to the MSME sector in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, the Development Agency of Serbia and the Development Fund. Over 30,000 clients received some form of support from RAREI Belgrade, over 1,300 trainings were held for more than 15,000 participants, mentoring services were provided for more than 80 economic entities. In order to effectively plan the development of the Belgrade region, RAREI Belgrade participated in the preparation and implementation of development documents for the city of Belgrade, such as the development strategy of the City of Belgrade until 2020, the development strategy of the municipalities of Zemun, Čukarica, Zvezdara, etc. In the previous 7 years, significant results were achieved in the field of preparation and implementation of projects financed from international and domestic sources. Certainly the most significant and largest project managed by RAREI Belgrade is the Thermal Rehabilitation project of public buildings owned by the city of Belgrade, which is financed from EU funds within the IPA 2018 program. The project involves the reconstruction and extension of 4 public buildings in order to improve energy efficiency. This project is an indicator of the determination of the city of Belgrade to participate together with the Republic of Serbia in achieving the goals of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. Namely, the implementation of the project will achieve savings in the consumption of energy sources, the emission of harmful gases will be significantly reduced, and thus contribute to environmental protection and a healthier environment for all our citizens. Also, the successful cooperation continued through the energy efficiency project within the IPA 2020 program, in which the reconstruction of 5 public buildings in Belgrade will be financed with the support of the EU. Director of RAREI Belgrade, Snežana Radinović took the opportunity to thank Minister Joksimović and her colleagues for the great support provided during the entire process of applying and withdrawing funds from international sources. The project of thermal rehabilitation of buildings owned by the City of Belgrade was the idea of ​​Minister Joksimović, and now we are on the verge of announcing the first tender for the reconstruction and extension of the emergency room facilities of the City Library in Belgrade.