EU PROGRES

The new buildings of the dairy market and market administration in Bojnik, built with the European Union and the Swiss Government support through European Partnership with Municipalities Programme – EU PROGRES, were ceremonially opened today by Jean-Luc Oesch, the Swiss Embassy Deputy Head of Mission in Serbia and Ivan Stojanović, the Mayor of Bojnik, with the presence of Graeme Tyndall, EU PROGRES Manager. This South Serbian municipality thus received its first planned market facility for the sale of dairy products.

“This project was not just about the construction of buildings, but also about the ways the market will be managed, which contributes to adherence to good governance principles”, deputy Ambassador Oesch said today. EU PROGRES supported municipal institutions in defining the rules of procedure for the Public Utility Company, pricing policy, preparing the criteria of eligibility and rules for renting the market stalls, and the establishment of the Municipal Supervisory Board.

This project, worth 84,350 Euros, was one of the priority projects in the Local Development Strategy because it was expected to support farming development in this part of the Jablanički District. Because of favourable climate, the main farming activities include cattle breeding, fruit and vegetable production. Around 100 stalls at the green market, which was renovated in 2008 with the European Union support, are used mainly for the sale of fruit and vegetables. Due to lack of appropriate conditions, milk was sold in local dairy shops, while there were hardly any dairy products in the market offer. This affected satisfaction of buyers, but also the producers because of low purchase prices.

“As a result of the lack of facilities for selling dairy products the milk producers did not make dairy products, but they sold milk as raw material to surrounding dairies. This dairy market will constitute not only a place for the sale of products but will also create preconditions to raise the quality and quantity of dairy products, which will affect the increase in livestock and consequently development of farming in the municipality of Bojnik,” said Ivan Stojanović, Mayor of Bojnik.

During the two-day visit, Jean Luc Oesch also visited the office of the Albanian National Minority Council in Bujanovac, One-Stop-Shop in Vranje, the project supporting employment of persons with disabilities and Business Incubator Centre in Vranje. He met the Mayor of Leskovac and Deputy Mayor of Vranje, as well as the Mayors of municipalities Bojnik and Bujanovac.