Dear Citizens and Visitors,

I welcome you in the only Serbian city selected to take part in the pilot programme: “Intercultural Cities” as a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, gathering twelve cities from different European countries. Based on exchange of good local practice in managing ethnic and cultural diversities, this co-operation programme opens a new space for establishing a dialogue on the concepts of intercultural governance and the challenges of bridging the traditional urban environment with the innovative responses to cultural diversities.

Subotica is a multicultural urban centre and the second largest city in the region of Vojvodina, within which a long standing and rich cultural heritage of its national communities intertwine with modern European values of democratic governance at local level. A flower with four petals turned to each other, symbolising the attraction of cultural diversity, mirrors the City’s historical trademark as a destination for settling, and today, as a Serbian gateway to Europe, welcoming the visitors, newcomers and tourists.

24-28 August 2010

Exploring the interculturalism and making a Western Balkan showcase of good local practice in diversity management at local level continues with filming the documentaries on multicultural local communities included in the Project. This time, the filming adventure took place  in Subotica, Serbia. The film crew of the Partner organization – the LIGHT HOUSE Media Centre, Wolverhampton, UK, composed of Ms. Nerina Villa, producer, Chris Wanklyn and Lauren Hatchard assistants, visited Subotica last week for filming the documentary 2, as scheduled in the Action plan for the second year of the joint project Regional Partnerships for Intercultural Exchange.

Participants in the meeting were:

1. City administration of Subotica: Ms. Erika Kudlik, City Councilor for international/regional co-operation, Ms. Melinda Kis Eres, LED Office Project Coordinator; Mr. Aleksandar Lovcanski, Mayor’s Office
2. ALDA: Ms. Stanka Parac, Partnership Support Manager,  Project Manager.
3. Wolverhampton Light House Media Centre: Mr. Frank Challenger, Executive Manager, Ms. Nerina Villa, film production manager
4. LDA Subotica: Ms. Olga Perusic, Delegate, Ms. Marija Jonjev, Financial manager, Mr. Massimo Gobbato, Internee, Milan Bosnjak, Local coordinator;
5. LDA Mostar: Ms. Dzenana Dedic, Delegate, Maja Vejzovic, Local coordinator,
6. LDA Osijek: Mr. Miljenko Turniski, Delegate, Ms. Branka Paskuljevic, Project coordinator, Ms. Kristina Babic, PR communication agency, Osijek; Ms. Tatjana Skrbic, Local project coordinator,

Meeting started with an overview of the activities implemented in Serbia during the first year of the project (training seminar for local authorities and NGO-s on diversity management, round table on ethnic communities and cultural heritage, study visits to Subotica in August 2009., during the harvest days and inter-ethno festival). Specific attention was given to some follow-up exchanges that took place among the participants from Mostar, Subotica and Osijek. Presentation of the activities was prepared by Ms. Stanka Parac, Project manager.

Training seminar on Intercultural Governance
Subotica, Serbia, 21-25 August, 2009

The School of Local Democracy has been a five day residential training seminar for local government officials and civil society organisations held by intercultural governance workshops. The participants came from partner organisations of LDA Subotica, local authorities included in ALDA network both from EU and the Western Balkans, local civil society organisations and multiethnic municipalities from the Vojvodina Region. Participants from Austria, Hungary, Italy, France, UK, Spain were also present at the event.

January 2010

In the framework of the EU supported Project: Regional Partnerships for Intercultural Exchange, The City of Subotica, Serbia (member of the European Intercultural Cities Network), in collaboration with the project partners: Association of Local Democracy Agencies – ALDA, Local Democracy Agencies Subotica, Osijek (Croatia), Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the Light House Media Centre - Wolverhampton, UK, announces:

An international call for contributions: Good Local Practices in Intercultural Governance

Invited to submit the papers are LG experts, researchers, professionals, scholars or NGO practitioners from the Western Balkans and EU member states, members of the European Intercultural Cities network or similar networks and associations of LG or NGO-s. The submitted papers should fall into the following categories, that coincide with the main thematic Chapters of the publication (Collection of Written Contributions) which will be published within this project.

6-9 August 2009.

Round Table in Subotica City Media Centre gathering around 30 participants, guests from the partner cities Osijek , Mostar and Seged was organized during the traditional celebration of harvest days.

On behalf of the host city Subotica, the key note speaker was Mr. Petar Horvacki, vice Mayor of Subotica,  who spoke about  multicultural coexistence and more than twenty  ethnic minority groups living in Subotica with a long tradition of mutual respect for diversity of their cultural heritage . Duzijanca or the harvest days evolved today to an urban celebration of a traditional rural habit of the local Croats and Bunjevacs – of making the bread of the newly harvested wheat.  Cultural events organized in the city streets and the main square are gradually becoming an attraction not only for the local citizens, but also for a number of visitors from the region and abroad.  In many ways,  the traditional cultural values of national minorities have become a specific attraction that Subotica can offer as an example of good practice in intercultural governance at local level and as an experience to be shared at cross-border and European wide level.

SUPPORT TO CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE – "PEOPLE TO PEOPLE ACTIONS":
CONSOLIDATING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS AND PUBLIC AUTHORITIES FOR RAISING MINORITY RIGHTS IN THE REGION

CARDS Regional Action Programme 2006

OPENING CONFERENCE: 6/7 JULY 2009., BRUSSELS,