The 12th meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee of the Committee of the Regions of the Republic of Serbia and the European Union was held today in Brussels. The meeting began with expressions of deepest condolences to the families of the victims in Serbia, on the occasion of the unprecedented tragedy that occurred yesterday at the Primary School “Vladislav Ribnikar” in Belgrade. A moment of silence was observed in honour of the victims of this tragedy.
The theme of this year’s Joint Consultative Committee, which was co-chaired by the Mayor of the City of Niš, Dragana Sotirovski, and Prof. Franz Schausberger, representative of the EU Committee of the Regions, was the improvement of skills in the field of public-private partnerships at the local level.
The State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Čedomir Rakić, has pointed out that the establishment of close relations between the local authorities in the Republic of Serbia and the EU Member States is a priority for MDULS. He added that this is a necessary step towards strengthening Local Self-Government Units in Serbia and, more importantly, towards further improving the quality of life of citizens.
Rakić has confirmed the Ministry’s commitment to the EU integration process, and pointed out the importance of the European Union’s support in the field of Public Administration Reform, through donor funds and the necessary expertise.
In the opening part of the meeting, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union, Ana Hrustanović, had addressed the attendees, after which the representatives of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), the Mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanović, and the Deputy President of the Commission for Public-Private Partnership of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Andrijana Jovanović, took the floor.
As members of the JCC, the President of the Municipality of Vrnjačka Banja, Boban Đurović, the Mayor of Sombor, Antonio Ratković, the representative of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Vračar, Nataša Mijatović, the Mayor of Kruševac Jasmina Palurović, the Presidents of the Municipalities of Varvarin and Vladimirci, Violeta Lutovac Đurđević and Goran Zarić, as well as the Secretary General of the SCTM, Nikola Tarbuk, took part in the meeting.
Photo gallery – source: MDULS
