JOKSIMOVIC: We expect larger grants from the European Commission

Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic said yesterday that the grants from the European Commission for Serbia should be larger.

She talked with Daniel Berg, Country Representative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Serbia, about the support of the bank and the EU in the development of small and medium enterprises, primarily in raising the standards of operations, raising productivity and improving the quality of work, the Government of Serbia announced.

The aim is to enhance the accessibility of the loans provided by the EBRD for the development of SMEs for the purpose of local economic development, through a coordinated approach of the EU funds (IPA 2018) and the EBRD.

Joksimovic agrees that there's a need for an efficient model of combining IPA grants and EBRD loans.

It was pointed out in the discussion that a further cooperation was needed in the realization of projects in the field of energy efficiency.

Joksimovic informed Berg that the Ministry of European Integration and the Development Agency of Serbia had signed a memorandum of cooperation on the coordination of activities and finding financial sources for local projects, through the network of regional development agencies. As she explained, this will contribute to better recognizing the needs of small and medium companies on a local level.

Berg said that the funds set aside for regional initiatives are largely meant for Serbia, which proves the capacities of Serbia's institutions compared to the region, the press release says.

Ministarstvo za evropske integracije Republike Srbije

Vlada Republike Srbije

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Bruxelles

EBRD Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj Beograd

Razvojna agencija Srbije

Jadranka Joksimovic

grants from European Commission

Daniel Berg

IPA 2018

small and medium enterprises

development of small and medium enterprises

IPA grants

IPA funds

Development Agency of Serbia

local projects

financing local projects