November 2009

What kind of project is this?
Let’s explain this project step by step by its name:

Local: project is based on effective institutionalized structures established to facilitate the communication between municipal administration and local NGO-s, which are still scarce in practice. As a result, the lack of administrative capacities for collaborative development of EU funded project proposals is more than evident, especially in smaller municipalities in Vojvodina, mainly multicultural local communities, which are eligible for a wide range of EU supported programs, including  the cross-border and Neighborhood co-operation programs.

Coallitions: Establishment of the new municipal administrative function in charge of  following the EU co-operation programs will contribute to better information provision on EU funding opportunities, information share with local NGO-s and coordination with different municipal institutions. It will create more opportunities to civil organizations and experts to get in the process of preparing and adopting the local sector policies, development strategies and applying in close collaboration with the local government.

EU integration: EU policy officer thus can become municipal administrative mechanism capable for contributing to increased visibility and more tangible results of the local government in coping with a) use of EU funds and b) inclusion of wider scope of beneficiaries of potential EU funding opportunities.

Who applied for this project and how long will it last?
The LDA Subotica applied for this project in collaboration with Centre for regionalism Novi Sad. This project, was officially approved by the Institute for sustainable communities in October 2009 and it will last one year.

Which is the project main aim and objective?
The project’s main objective is to help improve the knowledge and understanding at local level of EU integration process through appointing the EU policy officer, as well as to help build the administrative capacities to implement the European standards, applying on EU funds and cooperation to enhance good local governance. This overall project objective will be achieved through validation of the EU policy officers in cross border local municipalities as the result of active advocacy with citizens, coalition of civil organizations, local neighborhood community members, experts etc. Trough the training component, information sharing, publishing activity, the peer-to-peer exchange of experience on collaborative development of EU proposals and on effective local/regional co-operation partnerships for development, organizations truly believe in reaching and fulfilling project’s aims.

Who is the projects’ target group?
The main target groups are the local elected /appointed officials (decision makers), Mayors’ Office members, Mayors’ advisors Municipal Assembly, Mayor, civil society organizations, and neighborhood community centers in 6 municipalities in Vojvodina: Apatin, Bač, Kikinda, Novi Bečej, Kovačica. They will be involved in local democracy building, human/minority rights groups, women’s’ organisations, youth groups or professional associations.  Wide public and citizen involvement is expected at the series of street performances and media campaign, with the main objective to get the citizens closer to the process of EU enlargement and inform them about the role they may have in this process. The main beneficiaries are the local self-government bodies, local institutions and the citizens in municipalities included.  

What are the activities foreseen by the project?
Since the project main objective is the establishment of EU policy officer, to enhance that result, project is planned with concrete activities:

1. Opening thematic conference in Subotica with four thematic workshops, including 1) EU Regional Policy – Historic background and the potential for future of EU Integration;  2) EU enlargement strategy for Western Balkans; 3) Vojvodina in EU integration – challenges and perspectives; 4) Local self-governments and EU integration perspectives.
2. Training seminars in Apatin, Bač, Kikinda, Novi Bečej, Kovačica municipalities organized in close collaboration with the municipal officials, while the main target groups are the heads of different departments, administrators, neighbourhood communities’ elected/appointed representatives, local NGO-s. A main thematic workshop is: EU regional policy – institutions and support programmes.
3. Experts who are actively participating in training seminars will develop basic background situation analysis for the municipality in which they are engaged and draft the recommendations for establishing the EU policy officer and the necessary steps for adoption of such a decision. Those recommendations will be included in the Handbook.
4. Visibility actions and Media campaign: Will be organized by local coalitions of NGOs in all the five communities and by LDA in Subotica. The entire budget for street performances will be shared between all the six municipalities. Each of those promotional campaigns will include at least:  Media press conference, presentation and promotion of the digital CD publication “9 of May: Day of Europe”, citizens petition to explain what is the role of the EU Policy officer and thus to support its establishment with the help of the citizens signatures, stand with promotion and information material about EU and youth performances in the main square.

Expected results of the Project action are envisaged:
The Project activities will help improve general awareness and improved knowledge of the beneficiaries on specific the EU policies and get the citizens of small local communities closer to EU integration related issues:

1. Appointing the EU policy officers in cross border local government on the role of local self-governments in EU integration (active advocacy with citizens ),
2. Improved knowledge and skills of local elected/appointed councillors, neighbourhood communities’ campaign about possibilities of local self-development,
3. Elaboration of experts recommendation (for five municipality) as a tool for appointing the EU policy officer and his sustainability.