27th January 2010.

Training seminar in Bac (held on Wednesday, 27th January 2010., in the premises of the Tourist organization) was being prepared in close collaboration with the municipal department for economic development and locally coordinated by the municipal Tourist organization (Mr. Nikola Banjac, manager). The proposed Agenda included: introductory notes and background information on the project objectives, introductory notes on the process of decentralization in Serbia – municipal competences with special emphasis on local economic development, harmonization with the European standards of local self-government. Agenda also included the introductory presentation on EU regional policy and new EU IPA financial instrument 2007-2013., with emphasis on cross-border co-operation programs and available opportunities for the local governments.

The participants were addressed by Mr. Nikola Banjac, while the training was conducted by Mr. Aleksandar Popov, senior expert. Stanka Parac Damjanovic, spoke as a guest trainer in the second part of the training.

Mr. Aleksandar Popov presented the main challenges of present system of local self-government as one of the main precondition for EU Integration perspective of Serbia. Considering his long-standing experience as an NGO Director and expertise on regionalism-related issues, he particularly emphasized:

• the functioning and present problems of administrative capacity of local governments for EU integration;
• evolution from harsh centralist rule during the nineties to establishment of the grounds for genuine system of local self-government (legislation adopted after 2000);
• public debate and the recently approved Statute of the Vojvodina Region;

The seminar has also touched upon the matter of national minorities, providing an overview of the varieties of cases which the Vojvodina region embodies as one of the most multicultural part of  Serbia. Cross border and inter-municipal cooperation through a variety of programs supported by either international donors or domestic sources of funding was addressed as well.

In the second session, Ms. Stanka Parac has deepened the issues related with the utilization of EU funding opportunities with particular emphasis on IPA instrument – cross-border co-operation component.

Ms. Parac has also explained some of the most important technicalities of the criteria to apply for EU funds (above all the principle of co-financing and partnership), as well as providing an overview of how the EU regions interact and create effective networks of different types in order to attract diverse sources of funding.

During interactive discussion with the participants, exchange of professional experiences took place, while different problems inherent to local governments in Serbia were mentioned. Above all, as the participants noted, the lack of administrative capacity has become one of the major obstacles for implementation of local policies/strategies. In addition, lack of knowledge and information and only sporadic positive practice in inter-municipal partnerships has also hampered a more successful EU project development in municipalities.  The improvement of the potentials of local authorities, NGOs and a focus on inter-department and cross-sector team building as well as the methods of applying for EU funds has been the main aim of the seminar.

Participants in the training seminar in Bac were:

• LED Office team members,
• Representative of the municipal Tourist Information organisation,
• Representative of elementary education facilities,
• Representatives of sports associations,
• Representatives of local NGO-s, womens’ group

More specific issues tackled during the interactive debate were:

• Cross-border co-operation programmes with Croatian partners (in developing the tourist potentials of the municipality Bac).
• Developing womens’ entrepreneurial centre to help alleviate high unemployment rate and support social inclusion of marginalised groups
• Possibilities for improving the communication (tools, channels) between the LS and citizens in implementing the municipal development strategy
• Possibilities for improving the competencies for more successful applications for EU funding opportunities (tailor made trainings, building local coalitions instead of hiring external consultancy assistance...)

During evaluation session, participants expressed satisfaction with the quality of presentations and information provided.