Mayors of Bar, Leskovac, Sveti Nikole, Elbasan, Mostar and Sarajevo, the legal representatives of Podgorica, Priština and Novi Pazar with the presence of Dr. Daniel Stinsky, Head of economics & development at the German Embassy Sarajevo and Dr. Natalija El Hage, Country Director of GIZ office in Sarajevo, gathered in Sarajevo today to formally establish the EU projects City Network for the Western Balkans.
The City of Sarajevo initiated the establishment of the City Network, which will work on strengthening the municipal project teams in accessing EU and other donor funds and increase their project partnership base, resulting with developed and submitted joint projects for the benefit of the citizens.
This initiative is financed by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German Cooperation (GIZ), with the technical assistance of the Network of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS).
Mayors and representatives of nine cities agreed that this Network has great potential to contribute to the development of the Western Balkans Region.
‘’We all face similar challenges and similar problems in our cities. Our symbolic City Budgets cannot meet the needs of our citizens. Therefore, we must reach out to available international funds in order to improve the quality of life in our communities. When we join forces, these effects will be even greater, and together we can achieve even bigger results in the Region’’, Mayor Karić emphasized.
“Partnerships between the countries of the Western Balkans at the city and local levels will have tangible effects for the benefit of the citizens. Concrete measures are intended to strengthen transparency, the rule of law, and quality in public administration in various areas. We seek to develop and sustainably anchor partnership models between twin cities. The German Government, but also important other donors, are particularly supportive of this concern” Head of Economics and Development, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Daniel Stinsky.
“Open Regional Fund – Modernization of Municipal Services aims to improve the cross-country cooperation of towns from WB6 and its contribution to economic, administrative, and cultural development in South-Eastern Europe. By creating the network of the cities, this initiative brings together joint project teams and political decision-makers within the framework of peer learning, develop and implement joint project proposals, as well as to intensify partnerships and exchange with other twin cities in Central and Western Europe”, Fund Manager Peter Wolf.
“Local governments’ absorption capacities remain one of the relevant issues in the EU accession process, as a potential for improvement of local public services. We believe that by learning and working together, cities can empower their teams and utilize the available resources for the benefit of their citizens”, executive director of NALAS, Kelmend Zajazi.
