Strengthening Inter-Municipal and Economic Co-operation in the Podrinje Region

Despite possessing a wealth of potential and possibilities, co-operation between municipalities and small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) within what can broadly be defined as the Podrinje region remains under-developed and under-exploited. Accordingly, this project aims to stimulate economic trade and municipal ties between Republika Srpska and Serbia by strengthening the capacity of SMEs and municipal officials to understand and contend with the specific challenges and practicalities of regional co-operation.
This project will encourage regional co-operation by providing mechanisms through which municipalities and SMEs can work to identify and develop shared solutions to specific problems facing the Podrinje region, including its comparative remoteness from national markets, poor transport and economic infrastructure, high levels of reported and unregistered unemployment, and relatively low income levels; problems which have previously impeded the region’s sustainable development.

By helping to build regional networks that facilitate exchanges of information, knowledge and innovate practices, meanwhile, this project will help expand the access that SMEs have to alternative markets by providing a framework both to establish contacts with potential partners and to become better acquainted with the respective markets, legislative frameworks and customs regimes. In promoting inter-municipal and SME co-operation, this project will therefore contribute to improving the region’s economic competitiveness and socio-economic cohesiveness, whilst simultaneously creating new employment and investment opportunities. With the potential for regional co-operation also extending to tourism, cultural exchanges and co-operation between education/training centres, this project will also strengthen co-operation amongst local communities throughout the Podrinje region.

The ‘Strengthening Inter-Municipal and Economic Co-operation in the Podrinje Region’ is composed of a variety of events and activities, combined with on-going networking and best practice exchange elements, intended to contribute to the project’s long-term sustainability and the realisation of joint initiatives, particularly between municipalities. Throughout the project, the participating municipalities, SMEs and other counterparts will work to elaborate strategies for further developing and facilitating regional trade and co-operation. Ultimately, this project will enable municipal authorities to prepare joint project proposals that will help secure additional capital financing for projects that tackle concrete problems inhibiting regional trade, such as those related to transport and communications infrastructure, a lack of economic and low levels of investment in human capital.

Goal of the project

The goal of this project, implemented in conjunction with the Representational Office of Republika Srpska in Belgrade, is to promote and facilitate economic and inter-municipal co-operation between Republika Srpska and Serbia by strengthening the skills and knowledge of municipal officials and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) from municipalities throughout the Podrinje region 

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