In past ten years the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) invested CHF 17.7 million in the project of support for decentralization and democratic reforms in the field of the local self-government, it was said at the Conference “A Decade of Swiss Support to Serbian Municipalities.’
Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Serbia Beatrice Meyer pointed out that the Municipal Support Programme (MSP) worth CHF 17.7 million (EUR 15 million) was carried out in seven municipalities of central Serbia: Arilje, Cacak, Cajetina, Kraljevo, Lucane, Pozega and Uzice.
The programme funded by the Swiss Government through the SDC was launched in 2001 and represented a pioneering endeavor in the field of local self-government reforms in Serbia, she pointed out. Mayer underlined that the program strengthened human resources, and that in ten years more than 5,700 civil servants, civil society representatives and other participants underwent over 400 trainings and workshops. In 20 years time, the total amount of Swiss assistance to Serbia has exceeded CHF 300 million.
By 2013, Switzerland will finance cooperation programmes worth over 40 million EUR to support Serbia’s EU integration process, she pointed out. State Secretary of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government Sanja Cvekovic said that the cities and municipalities which participated in the project can now offer better and more quality services.
Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities Djordje Stanicic pointed out that the programme launched trainings for local civil servants in the field of municipal bonds. Director of MSP Consulting Radomir Milanovic stated that in ten years 137 municipal projects, 32 strategic documents and more than 30 publications were realized.
Source emg.rs
