Measure I.2 – Cross-border initiatives targeting the exchange of people and ideas to enhance the professional and civic society cooperation.
Project Title: Building capacities for EU Leader type of operations in the Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina cross border area
Project Budget:
| Project Value | EU Contribution | |
| Republic of Serbia | €62,630.00 | € 50,000.00 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | € 61,450.00 | € 50,000.00 |
| TOTAL | €124,080.00 | € 100,000.00 |
Beneficiary of funds in the Republic of Serbia: Ibar development association “IDA”
Beneficiary of funds in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Municipality of Rogatica
Partners:
- Municipality of Arilje, Serbia
- Municipality of Istočni Stari Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Area of implementation:
- Serbia: Zlatiborski District, Municipality of Arilje
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Municipality of Rogatica and Municipality of Istocni Stari Grad
The target groups of the project: Representatives of civil sector in the municipalities of Arilje, Rogatica and Istocni Stari Grad – representatives of 10 organizations of civil society which are active in the field of rural development; Representatives of business sector in the municipalities of Arilje, Rogatica and Istocni Stari Grad – representatives of 10 business organizations or companies; Representatives of local administration and public sector in the municipalities of Arilje, Rogatica and Istocni Stari Grad – 20 representatives of municipal management and public services.
Project duration: 01.12.2010. – 31.03.2012
Project objectives:
The overall objective: Improved connection of people, communities and exchange of ideas in cross border regions.
The specific objective:
Local communities have the capacity for planning of rural development and implementation of strategic documents.
Activities and results of the project
The transfer of knowledge concerning principles, legislation and methodologies set by the European Union regarding rural development and LEADER (Liason Entre Actions pour le Development d’lEconomie Rurale) approach has been enabled through debates, exchange of experiences and development of cooperation between the stakeholders in the cross-border area. Partnership between the sectors in three Municipalities – Arilje, Istočni Stari Grad and Rogatica – has been established within the Local Action Groups (LAGs) in accordance with the LEADER concept. LAGs allow adequate consideration of the needs of local communities by defining objectives and measures for the development of the area. As such, local development strategies can be defined to serve as the basis for socio-economic development of the area.
Project target groups were representatives of civil society active in the field of rural development, business organizations, municipal management and public services from Arilje, Rogatica and Istočni Stari Grad. Also, Municipalities of Han Pijesak and Sokolac were included in the project implementation. This raised the potential of the private, business and public sectors in the three municipalities for long-term planning and implementation of measures for rural development on the territories where LAGs were created. They have thus gained the necessary prerequisites for better support and use of available resources.
Experiences show that cross-border partnerships can be maintained by respecting local diversities, ensuring flow of information, as well as exercising cooperation and exchange of experiences between project partners, while supporting proper implementation of local development strategies across the rural areas.
