The cross-border cooperation programme Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina 2021-2027 is the third generation of the cross-border cooperation programmes between the two countries and is supported by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance of the European Union. It has incorporated the lessons learnt under the implementation of the 2014-2020 cross-border cooperation programme with the same participating countries to further strengthen and extend the scope of cooperation between beneficiaries.
The programme’s is to contribute to economic, social and territorial development of the programme area by fostering integration, joint development and use of potentials and opportunities to make the area attractive to live and work in. The programme intervention areas shall build on strengths and potentials to seize the most relevant opportunities, improve the weaknesses and minimize threats. Balance between the integration and development objectives and feasibility of implementation were considered. The programme therefore focuses on the following thematic priorities:
- TP1: Investing in youth, education and skills within this TP, two specific objectives/outcomes are defined:
SO 1.1 To enhance youth activism and youth socio-economic participation.
SO 1.2 To increase the employability of specific groups by provision of new skills.
The thematic priority addresses some of the key challenges identified in the region – limited perspectives and high unemployment rates among youth, as well as negative migration trends within the region. The selection of this priority is also based on the experience gained through joint people-to-people actions that were regarded as the most successful and relevant in previous programmes.
- TP2: Encouraging tourism and cultural and natural heritage within this TP, one specific objective/outcome is defined:
SO 2.1 To develop and promote joint tourism offers based on cultural and natural heritage.
This thematic priority and its specific objective/outcome explore the potentials identified in the region, especially tourism development in connection with cultural and natural heritage. The existing linkages between communities and best practice experiences in developing a joint tourism offer were used as a reference. This SO also allows the creation of common tourism products as well as minor interventions in tourism infrastructure at culture and natural heritage sites. It is estimated that both thematic priorities can have the best possible impact at regional level in the cross-border context, considering the financial and technical framework of the programme. The support to be provided under this multi-annual action plan will directly contribute and create synergies with the priorities of the Economic and Investment Plan and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.
