The fourth day of the European Opportunity Week is dedicated to education, youth and sports, and the program started with the signing of two important documents for the youth of Serbia.

Those are the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia and the European body – Association of European Border Regions, as well as the Agreement on Youth Volunteering in Interreg Programs (IVY).

The Memorandum and the Agreement were signed in the premises of the European House by Tanja Miščević, Minister for European Integration (MEI) and Martin Guillermo Ramirez, Secretary General of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), while the Ambassador of the European Union in Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret and the Minister of Tourism and Youth Husein Memić supported this initiative with their presence.

On that occasion, Minister Miščević:

“I am pleased to have signed two memoranda that apparently do not sound important, but define the clear and important support that we are receiving for the first time from the Association of European Border Regions – we, as the Ministry, as well as Serbia. That support relates most broadly to the EU integration process, and we put everything we try to do in the context of the process as such, but not because of the process itself, but because of the results.”

“It also supports us in making cross-border cooperation as attractive as possible, with a few obstacles as possible and as many benefits as possible”, added Minister Miščević.

She spoke about the number of cross-border projects being implemented in Serbia, and she had the opportunity to visit some of them:

“We say people’s gratitude – not for the funds, but for the fact that we are working on their empowerment”, she concluded.

“We need to develop cross-border ties”, said Martin Guillermo Ramirez.

He noted that “interesting challenges are ahead of us”, but at the same time that this Interreg idea might have been misunderstood 10 years ago, while to date countless volunteers have joined it, not only from the EU, but also from neighbouring countries.

He also illustrated the importance of cross-border cooperation through the example of Germany and France, which were in a major conflict several decades ago:

“That border area was the poorest. Today, it is highly developed, there are successful, important companies”, said the representative of the Association of European Border Regions.

“Fantastic future is ahead of us, I look forward to the moment when we can celebrate, and I hope we can do it together”, he concluded.

The Memorandum of Cooperation establishes the terms of cooperation between the Ministry for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia and the Association of European Border Regions in the areas of European integration and European territorial cooperation.

What is cross-border youth volunteering?

Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) offers young people the opportunity to volunteer in cross-border, transnational or interregional programs and related projects.

Volunteers support, promote and report on the achievements of Interreg programs and projects, and they also generally promote cooperation and related values, across European borders and beyond. While helping their host organizations, volunteers gain a unique experience of personal growth and gain skills that they can use in their future experiences.

By including young people in territorial cooperation programs, IVY fosters civic engagement among young people. Volunteers experience cooperation and learn about the achievements of programs and projects of Interreg, IPA-CBC and ENI-CBC, while at the same time they contribute these programs and projects and become aware of the many advantages of cross-border cooperation.

The IVY Initiative is managed by the Association (AEBR).

Signing of these two agreements was organized as part of the European Opportunity Week, and the rest of the day will include panels on youth in Interreg, Erasmus+ program, on the Central European University Exchange Program (CEEPUS), as well as other opportunities for studying in the countries of the European Union. There is also talk about the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), the Youth Guarantee, as well as the young European ambassadors (We Balkans).

If you are not able to follow the program live or online, you will be able to find all the sessions on the EU YT channel in Serbia, after October 7.

The European Opportunity Week, the second one in a row, is being held this year from September 23 to 27. The first four days cover the topics of business and innovation, culture, civil sector, media, education, youth and sports, local development, and the activities take place in the European House Belgrade. On the last day, panels on local development, territorial cooperation and green transition, as well as formal ceremonies and networking are held in Niš, at the “Tami” Hotel.

Find the detailed agenda and other details of the European Opportunity Week on the following page: https://eumogucnosti.rs/evropska-nedelja-mogucnosti/ 

During this event, you will have the opportunity to hear all about the most important European programs, projects and funds that are available in Serbia. Opportunities are numerous and include public calls, grants, loans, youth opportunities, student exchanges, competitions, skills development and free training.