About our online event
In 2020, our focus is online. The Interreg-IPA CBC Romania-Serbia Programme showcased its vision and results on its Facebook page. We kicked things off on the 21st of September at 12 p.m. Romanian time, 11 a.m. CET and Serbian time. We watched together videos of projects financed by the European Union in our communities.
We are different people, we have different cultures, but… we have common challenges, opportunities and goals. It’s up to us to cooperate and work together in order to find solutions that can be applied beyond borders!
Focus on the projects
After exploring some of the Romanian-Serbian cross-border projects, we noticed that many good things come out when we join forces:
The artistic aspirations and achievements of disadvantaged children and youth are an important and valued part of our communities. The project partners coagulated and highlighted the creative potential of the cross-border region through a dynamic Romanian-Serbian partnership. The project addressed creative but unemployed young artists, teenagers from marginalized areas, children with parents working abroad, migrant children. They also involved in their activities other stakeholders in the community like teachers, directors of cultural centers, librarians, etc. They organized mentoring activities, workshops, and exhibitions for creative young people. Children from all over the area benefited from reading and storytelling workshops and took part in the borderless games. A group of migrant children and adults received a cultural passport that facilitates their access to cultural events. This provided a way to better understand the environment in which they live, for instance.
“Tour de Banat”
The project brought together three partners with a common idea to improve the cross-border tourism offer with cyclo-tourism. As a result, they built the “Tour de Banat” Regional Centre for cyclo-tourism in Srpska Crnja (Serbia). They connected it to the newly built “Tourist Stop for cyclists” in Jimbolia (Romania). The cross-border partners joined their forces to place this region on the European map of the EuroVelo bicycle corridors.
The project team worked extensively to promote the use of renewable energy sources. Resita public administration installed solar panels on the roof of the city pool. They also purchased 60 bicycles for a bicycle share system in the city. In Pancevo, the authorities rehabilitated the Sports Hall. As a result, this intervention improved the conditions for the quality training of athletes. Visitors are also happy to watch sporting events in a more comfortable atmosphere.
Local Heritage for Active Tourism in Banat. Banat is a cross-border region currently within the territory of three national states: Romania, Serbia and Hungary. Located between the Danube, Tisa, Mures, Timis and Cerna rivers, Banat is a multicultural and multiethnic space where plurilingualism and ecumenism are privileged. Developed from an empiric to a scientific approach, the project proposed a proactive involvement in communities from both sides of the border, while it enabled people to create bridges based on their shared heritage. After identifying local craftsmen, well-kept traditions, arts, crafts and particularities of the local cuisine, the project assisted communities in transforming their cultural resources into products that can attract tourists.
People living in the cross-border regions are sometimes isolated in remote communities, especially on the external border of the European Union. The „Improvement of Banat Connectivity” project aimed to obtain better connectivity in the Romanian-Serbian border area, through the improvement of quality standards in public transport and mobility services. Moreover, after the implementation of the project, people can use rehabilitated streets in Jimbolia (Romania) and a newly built two-way bicycle path from Kikinda to Nakovo, the Serbian state border-crossing with the European Union in Lunga, Romania. The 7.8 km of bicycle path is also an opportunity to present alternatives to sustainable mobility to the local population and to show the benefits of cleaner transport choices, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and last but not least returning to nature.
The Firefighters and Emergency Management Recas–Zagubica
Two public entities share a lot of resemblance regarding the climate, the habitats, the culture and the people’s willingness to protect the environment. Both are dealing with the same common challenge related to the environment and the management of emergency situations. Environmental risks know no boundaries. That`s why in good times we shall work together to prepare ourselves to respond when disaster strikes. Fires, floods, earthquakes or extreme weather conditions can affect the natural environment and people`s lives living in the cross-border area.
How important is eye health for you? A cross-border team of doctors developed an Interreg-IPA CBC project in order to improve the quality of life for the population with specific eye pathologies creating access to modern services of diagnosis and eye surgery in Timisoara and Nova Crnja. High-quality eye diagnosis and surgery services are available to all the citizens of the cross-border area with the help of the Regional Centre for advanced laser therapies in ophthalmology.
A new chance for social inclusion of inmates. The project improved the practical knowledge and skills of inmates through a non-formal education program in the area of producing dry fruit, vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants, therefore, giving them the chance to become small agriculture producers and providing them with new opportunities on the labour market.