VUKADINOVIĆ PRESENTS FOČA'S AND SRPSKA'S POTENTIAL IN BRUSSELS

FOČA, NOVEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – Foča Mayor Milan Vukadinović, representing the Association of Municipalities and Cities of Republika Srpska, spoke at an international meeting in Brussels about the potential of Foča and Srpska in tourism and environmental protection.

The meeting was organized by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions under an EU program for the Western Balkans. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of municipalities and cities so that EU-related reforms bring tangible benefits to citizens.

The meeting focused on the role of local communities in the European integration process, attracting investment, and projects in environmental protection and energy efficiency.

Vukadinović said he had used the opportunity to present opportunities for cooperation with municipalities and cities in BiH, as well as cross-border cooperation. Foča has positive experience with cross-border projects: it is already implementing its second project with its twin municipality of Plužine in Montenegro, aimed at developing tourism and cultural and historical heritage.

"We are also working on environmental protection. I would highlight the switch to new fuels in the boiler rooms of the High School Center and in our two city heating plants, most of which we have managed to rebuild and convert to renewable energy," Vukadinović said.

He said EU officials at the Brussels meeting had been able to hear what ordinary people in Foča, Republika Srpska and the region needed. His presentation focused on the need to further increase EU pre-accession funding for local communities and to give them a more active role and easier access to those funds.

"It is up to us to fight together and join forces to make everything that depends on us easier, when it comes to project documentation and the necessary permits. We heard concrete examples from other local communities and Western Balkan countries, and we made important contacts with associations of cities from the region and the EU," Vukadinović said.

He also took the opportunity to remind EU officials that the region's economy could not develop without solving the problem of the Foča-Sarajevo road link, a lifeline not only for Foča but for the wider region.

"We have recently managed to get the Foča-Šćepan Polje road into the implementation phase, and the tender procedure is underway, as is the road further toward Herzegovina. We want to open up the town in every direction so that we can compete for many international projects, above all those related to developing Foča's tourism capacity," Vukadinović said.

He said he expected the Brussels panel to lead to concrete steps and EU-funded projects in Foča, Republika Srpska and BiH, such as solving the problem of the regional landfill, and other projects that could help develop tourism and the economy.

"Such projects are mostly about cross-border cooperation, where Foča has a lot of experience, and that can be a great help. But we also need to roll up our sleeves even more so that we are ready to seize every opportunity for development," Vukadinović said.