Cross-border Cooperation - Step Towards European Union

9.11.2007.
The Office for European Affairs of the Executive Council of Vojvodina presented the potentials that can be utilised by local self-governments at the Fair of Investments "Investexpo" today.

As the advisor for European integrations of the Office for European Affairs, Mr Igor Bajić, has put it, the activities of the Office aiming at the soonest possible joining of our country in the European Union, based on the principle “three pillars - promotion of European ideas, activities in connection with utilising European pre-admission and development funds and regional cooperation with regions, cities and municipalities in the European Union member countries".

Mr Bajić pointed out that the “third pillar”, i.e. the regional cooperation, is very important because that means direct contact with the institutions of the European Union and with its structural and cohesive funds.

Bearing in mind that in our vicinity all the countries are either members of the European Union or candidates to become members, cross-border cooperation is very important. As was pointed out at the seminar today, all those who would be doing projects of cross-border cooperation will have an “open door” and immeasurable experience which will present a comparative advantage when we become a candidate country, and later a member of the European Union. All those who manage to get funding from European funds will have to take care that these funds are spent adequately, that is that they get a passing mark so that they can apply for new projects.

The advantage about the cross-border cooperation, when it comes to Serbia, is that the neighbouring countries have the same problems as us, in terms of unemployment, old technologies, inefficiency in business and ecology.
The benefits of the cross-border cooperation are before all in economic development and support of business development, then through introduction of modern technologies and development of regional products. Such cooperation can give positive results in environment protection and pollution reduction, solving the problem of city and regional dumping areas and in establishing the relationship ‘people toward people’ which defines real help to discriminated groups, enhancement of inter-ethnic relationships and protection of cultural heritage.

Greater participation in cross-border cooperation, as they said at the seminar, is restricted by the small absorption capacities in the institutions of state authorities and local self-governments, the lack of quality projects, non-informed public on the existence and functioning of funds of the European Union.