EU PROGRES

Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia Ambassador Vincent Degert and Preševo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa today opened the Citizens Advisory Service in that municipality and visited the local primary school “Ibrahim Kelmendi”, where new joinery have been installed.

Ambassador Degert, who began his two-day visit to South Serbia today, said that he believed that the newly established Service would be successful and help the residents of this South Serbian municipality realise their rights. “This project, which entails the provision of free aid, will help all citizens, first and foremost the marginalised ones, realise their fundamental rights,” H.E. Degert said today.  

The value of this project, supported by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland through the European Partnership with Municipalities Programme EU PROGRES, totals 32,500 EUR. Preševo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa expressed hope that “this project will improve the quality of life of the residents of the municipality”.

Ambassador Degert also visited the primary school “Ibrahim Kelmendi”, in which the schooling conditions of over 2,435 students have been improved by the replacement of the doors and windows after nearly half a century; the old windows had slid from their frames, and cold air entered the classroom at wintertime through the cracks in the panes. The pupils frequently did not attend class in winter because of the cold. The working conditions in the school are now much better. This project will also result in significant savings of heating oil and increase energy efficiency.  The hitherto annual heating costs of 60,000 EUR will be cut by 30 percent. “Every project linked to education and culture is extremely important, which is why we are extremely pleased that we succeeded in improving the schooling conditions of the pupils of this school,” Ambassador Degert said.

The EU Ambassador today met with Bujanovac Mayor Nagip Arifi and addressed the Municipal Assembly councillors. He also visited the offices of the National Council of the Albanian National Minority, for which the European Union and the Government of Switzerland bought furniture and IT equipment worth 10,000 EUR via EU PROGRES. 

During the second day of his visit, the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia will meet Vranje Mayor Zoran Antić, visit the local City e-government improvement project and works on a One Stop Shop for issuing construction licences and supporting businesses. Ambassador Degert will hand over contracts on the funding of 13 projects of civil society organisations and local-self government institutions supported by the EU and the Government of Switzerland through EU PROGRES. He will then visit the settlement Ćoška, where a water supply pipeline is being constructed with EU support, the Vranje Business Incubator Centre and open works on the construction of a power substation in the village of Trebešinje.