The Multifunctional Hall of the Timiș County Council hosted Interreg Cooperation Day, an anniversary event marking 35 years of Interreg programmes, while also celebrating more than two decades of cross-border collaboration between Romania and Serbia.
The event brought together over 100 representatives of central and local institutions from both countries, including H.E. Silvia Davidoiu, Ambassador of Romania to Serbia, H.E. Ivana Jakšić Matović, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Timișoara, and Mr Gabriel Ghilea, Undersecretary of State within the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration. They highlighted the importance of the results achieved through joint projects and the role of European solidarity in fostering development in the border region.
During this edition, 21 projects with major impact were awarded in fields such as cross-border connectivity, cultural heritage protection, healthcare and community safety. Among them were successful initiatives with a fund absorption rate of over 99%, such as the rehabilitation of navigation infrastructure on the Bega Canal and the improvement of medical services in neurology and psychiatry. Special awards were granted for projects with a global impact, including the 2023 RegioStars Award-winning project on water quality monitoring in mining areas, as well as initiatives with strong social and cultural significance, which strengthened cross-border cooperation by promoting traditions, education and inclusion. Outstanding partnerships developed for managing emergency situations in the Banat region were also recognised, underlining the importance of cross-border cooperation for the sustainable and safe development of communities.
The programme also featured a cultural moment offered by students of the Faculty of Music in Timișoara, who performed traditional Romanian and Serbian pieces, symbolising the cultural ties between the two states.
The second part of the event took place on 1 October, with a visit to the Bega Canal and the hydrotechnical node at Sânmihaiu Român, modernised through the strategic project “Repairing Navigation Infrastructure on the Bega Canal” (RORS-15), financed under the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Romania-Serbia Programme.
This year’s edition of Interreg programmes demonstrated once again that European funding means improved infrastructure, stronger cross-border connectivity, institutional cooperation and the consolidation of neighbourly relations between Romania and Serbia.
