At the 10th National Conference on European Territorial Cooperation Programmes, held in Novi Sad and organised by the Ministry for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia, the results of projects implemented to date with partners from the European Union and the region were presented, along with an exchange of experiences and an exploration of opportunities for establishing new partnerships.
Deputy Mayor Dejan Ružić presented the City of Kragujevac’s results within the URBACT Programme, stressing that Kragujevac has been an active partner since Serbia joined the programme, through projects focused on innovative practices and the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator learning programme. Ružić stressed that strengthening the capacity of the local administration to prepare and implement projects, as well as to plan and implement integrated and sustainable urban policies, is particularly important for Kragujevac. Through URBACT, Kragujevac has cooperated with numerous European cities and institutions, opening up opportunities for new project initiatives, access to European funds and continued cooperation beyond the completion of individual projects.
Speaking about the DARING Cities project, implemented within the URBACT IV Programme, through which Kragujevac is connected with Ravenna, Olomouc, Dunaújváros, Altea, Piraeus and Den Helder, Ružić highlighted the focus on harnessing the potential of industrial cultural heritage. This is particularly significant for Kragujevac as it enables the city to apply the experience of other European cities in considering the future use and development of the Military Technical Institute complex. The project brings together the preservation of cultural and historical heritage, urban development, culture, creative industries, education and the economy, with the aim of identifying sustainable solutions for transforming this area into a new urban amenity. For Kragujevac, DARING Cities was not only an opportunity to exchange experiences, but also a mechanism for turning European knowledge into concrete local development ideas, the Deputy Mayor said.
Referring to the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator programme, which provides the City with support in the areas of sustainable urban mobility, communication and stakeholder engagement, Ružić stressed that the programme enables the implementation of small-scale pilot actions to test new approaches in the local context and make their results visible to citizens. Thanks to this, the City will create a new ‘urban pocket’, a modern space for people of all ages in Kragujevac to meet and socialise, he added.
Summing up the effects of participation in these initiatives, Ružić said that participation in the URBACT Programme represents an investment in the knowledge, people and capacities of the City of Kragujevac, while also constituting an investment in its future urban development. Through connections with European cities, the application of good practices and the active involvement of the local community, Kragujevac is creating the conditions for a more sustainable, inclusive and functional city, in line with the needs of its citizens, he concluded.
The event in Novi Sad was attended by Minister for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia Nemanja Starović, Minister of Local Self-Government of the Republic of North Macedonia Ivan Stoilković, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia Andreas von Beckerath, as well as representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood.
