EU Earmarks Additional EUR10 Million for Serbia for Economic Recovery from Pandemic

Emanuele Giaufret, Jadranka Joksimovic, Belgrade, Dec. 9 2021(BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV/MO)

EU Delegation head in Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and Serbian Minister of European Integrations Jadranka Joksimovic signed in Belgrade on Dec. 9 an agreement on EUR10 million in additional support from the EU for recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic which will be realized through the EU PRO Plus program.

Giaufret said that a call had also been issued for EUR4.5 million from the EU PRO Plus program for local self-administrations, regional development agencies and NGOs.

"We are working with 99 municipalities across Serbia, which we have helped with over EUR30 million so far, in association with the Ministry of European Integration and our partners from UNOPS. Today, we signed an agreement on an additional EUR10 million in aid to local self-administrations so that they can invest in infrastructure, social services and balanced economic development," Giaufret said.

He also said that Serbia's reaction to the circumstances that the pandemic had created was good, but that additional support was needed on the local level to face coming challenges. He stressed that the EU remained Serbia's partner in the process of European integration, while an intergovernmental conference would be held next week to confirm Serbia's progress in the process.