The event “From Local to Europe: Networking of Towns and Municipalities through the EU Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme - CERV” was held on 2 March at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade, organized by the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, acting as the national contact point for this programme. The event was attended by more than 50 representatives of towns and municipalities.
The opening remarks were given by Nikola Tarbuk, Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), Snežana Paunović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, and Demo Beriša, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.
Nikola Tarbuk emphasized that CERV “is not only a source of funding, but also an instrument for connecting, learning and positioning our towns and municipalities within the European space of values and partnerships.” He added that “it is particularly important that the programme, through calls such as Networks of Towns and Town Twinning, directly empower local communities to build lasting ties with partners across Europe.”
Tarbuk stressed that “European values do not emerge in the abstract - they are built and implemented in local communities, where citizens exercise their rights and most directly experience the quality of public policies.”
Minister Beriša underlined that CERV is the largest European Union programme aimed at strengthening democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights and active citizen participation.
Minister Paunović emphasized that local self-governments play a key role in implementing European values in practice, adding that the ministries, just like SCTM, are strong partners to local self-governments.
The CERV programme was presented by Sanja Atanasković Opačić from the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, while examples of good practice were presented by representatives of the Municipality of Bač, the City of Zrenjanin and the Foundation “Novi Sad - European Capital of Culture”.
In the closing part of the event, a discussion and exchange of experiences were held, with participants agreeing that CERV represents a strategic opportunity for local authorities in Serbia - not only as a project call, but as a mechanism for strengthening capacities, improving public policies and building trust between local administration, civil society and citizens.
The event demonstrated that the path “from local to Europe” is realistic, sustainable and beneficial for the citizens of Serbia, and it is expected that an increasing number of towns and municipalities will actively use the opportunities provided by CERV.
