News

02/07/2010

EU funding training session takes place in Republika Srpska

On June 22nd and 23rd 2010 the Regional Representation of Republika Srpska in Brussels and the Assembly of European Regions organised with the Unit for European Integration of the Government of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka an EU funding training session for officials from regional ministries, development agencies as well as universities. The two-day program encompassed various elements, from practical tools to developing a European project from the idea to the application, through project management, monitoring and evaluation tools. It also covered information on funds available, including CIP and FP7. Gathering Republika Srpska officials dealing with EU funding on a daily basis and being conducted in an interactive manner, the training was a useful platform of exchanging experiences and giving feedback on what is needed to effectively apply for EU funds.

17/06/2010

Republika Srpska Representation Director on Panel at conference on Regional Cooperation with keynote speech by Commissioner for Enlargement, Štefan Füle.

"The Director of the Republika Srpska Regional Representation, Mr Mario Djuragic, was invited to be a panel-member at a conference entitled ‘Where Europe Ends; Regional Contribution to EU Accession, A Conference on Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy’. The conference was organized by the online news portal, EUObserver.com, and was opened by a keynote speech by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy.

The event was divided into two panel-discussions, the first included four Members of the European Parliament as well as representatives of the Committee of the Regions and the Assembly of European Regions. The second discussion panel, which included Mario Djuragic, was on the topic of the experiences and difficulties faced by regional officials of pre-accession countries and those in the eastern neighborhood.

During his opening comments, Mr Djuragic touched upon the subject of necessary reforms before Bosnia and Herzegovina will be able to become an EU Member State, “During the accession process, Bosnia and Herzegovina leaders will have years to work closely with EU officials to carefully identify and negotiate whatever constitutional changes are necessary to meet EU standards. Any changes to B&H’s Constitution must be closely tailored to the requirements of EU accession. B&H’s first priorities now with respect to EU integration should be to finish visa liberalization and to fulfill the requirements of the Stabilization and Association Agreement.”

The event was attended by a wide variety of stakeholders from various European Institutions including the European Commission, European Parliament and European Regional Offices located in Brussels.

More information on the event including the conference program can be downloaded from the EUObserver.com website: http://conferences.euobserver.com/enlargement/index/.

The full text of the speech made by Mr Djuragic can be found here

09/06/2010

Milan Jelic Foundation Director from Republika Srpska attends Foundation Week in Brussels

Director of the Milan Jelic Foundation from Republika Srpska, Mrs. Tanja Đaković attended the first fair of European Foundations in Brussels entitled ‘Foundation Week’. The fair is organized by the European Foundation Centre (EFC) – an organization made up of 233 foundations in 40 countries. During the visit Mrs Đaković met EFC representatives but also people working for many other organizations dealing with similar issues as that of the Milan Jelic Foundation. During the event representatives discussed their experiences of strengthening internal-Foundation structures as well as possible joint-actions in the future.

13/04/2010

Republika Srpska Signs Cooperation Agreement with the Italian Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia

The President of Republika Srpska, Mr. Rajko Kuzmanovic and the President of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Mr. Renzo Tondo, signed today a cooperation agreement. The agreement lays the foundations for future bilateral cooperation in the fields of SMEs, institutional relations, cultural affairs, education , human resources , scientific research etc. The region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is in the North-East of Italy.

26/01/2010

Republika Srpska has joined the Euro Meditteranean Regional and Local Assembly

Regional and local officials from European, North African and Middle Eastern countries gathered in Barcelona on Thursday (21 January) to inaugurate the Euro Meditteranean Regional and Local Assembly.

The Association Regionale et Locale Euro-Mediteranee (ARLEM) is a project designed to foster co-operation between local authorities on all sides of the Mediterranean Sea and to help members tap into EU funds for environmental, energy and democracy-building projects.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has been allocated two seats in the Assembly. „Republika Srpska is very excited to be taking part in this new network because we want to know what is happening in our neighborhood, and also because there are many issues that we share with others. The new network will facilitate the establishment of contacts, best practice sharing between cities and regions and the promotion of inter-municipal and inter-regional cooperation", said Mario Djuragic, a representative from Republika Srpska to ARLEM.

The leadership of the assembly includes Luc Van Den Brande, Arlem's freshly elected chairman, a Moroccan co-chairman and representatives from Algeria, France, Jordan, Hungary and Croatia.

Note

ARLEM is a joint project of the Committee of the Regions, regional and local authorities around the three shores of the Mediterranean, and European and international associations representing regional and local authorities. It is a response to the request to put the role of regional and local authorities in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on an institutional footing. It therefore gives the partnership a territorial dimension and seeks to involve local and regional authorities more closely in the specific projects of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The Barcelona Declaration, adopted by the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in November 1995, stated: "Municipalities and regional authorities need to be closely involved in the operation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. City and regional representatives will be encouraged to meet each year to take stock of their common challenges and exchange experiences."

11/12/2009

Republika Srpska: An attractive destination for many tourists and international rafters

Aleksandar Pastir, President of the Rafting club "KANJON" Banja Lukawas a keynote speaker at a conference on tourism in South East Europe on Tuesday 8^th December 2009 in Brussels, organised by the Parliament Magazine.
"Having hosted the best organised world rafting championship ever, Republika Srpska has become a destination of interest for many tourists worldwide and will attract more and more international rafters in the near future", said Mr. Pastir.
According to Mr. Mario Djuragic, Head of Republika Srpska Representation in Brussels, this conference has been a new opportunity to showcase the best tourism activities of Republika Srpska, a region which deserves to be, among the world's top rafting destinations.

More info

14/10/2009

AER energy peer review report in Republika Srpska published

Experts from AER member regions conducted an energy audit in Republika Srpska, with the aim of assessing the region's potential to produce electrical and thermal power from biomass resources, including wood, agricultural and municipal solid waste. Biomass energy represents a huge potential in Republika Srpska. The region is a heavily forested and predominately rural area; wood and agricultural waste could therefore be used for production of heat and electricity while helping the region diversify its energy portfolio. As a locally sited and CO2 neutral resource, biomass would also contribute to local employment and allow regional authorities to endorse the Kyoto agreement, signed by the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina a year ago.

14/10/2009

The “Open Days 2009-European Week of Regions & Cities” in Banja Luka

The objective of this workshop was to present the importance of the participation of young people in public and political life today and in the future. The future of the region -Republika Srpska- is in the hands of the young people. The same applies for the country, Europe and the whole world. Policy making has a direct impact on the lives of young people and they should thus be included in these processes.

Open Days 2009 - Banja Luka - Report

14/10/2009

130 participants attended the seminar on “Investing in the Future: Innovative Ideas in Tourism

The event addressed the current situation in the tourism sector and gave the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities for innovative technologies for regional SME's. The event was also used to present examples of best practice undertaken in tourism. This seminar was an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas on how regions can create a framework that will enable more innovation and create a positive culture for new innovative projects in the tourism sector

Seminar programme