The Interreg IPA RomaniaโSerbia Programme organised three public consultation meetings in Serbia (Zrenjanin, Veliko Gradiลกte and Donji Milanovac) from 27 to 29 October 2026.
Over 92 representatives of public authorities, NGOs and other local and regional stakeholders came together to discuss the needs, challenges and development opportunities of the cross-border region beyond 2027.
The meetings focused on the future of cross-border cooperation and on potential project ideas to address shared challenges and deliver tangible benefits to communities along the RomaniaโSerbia border. During the discussions, Serbian stakeholders presented the territorial challenges, drawing specific attention to the financial related aspects, particularly in relation to the available of funds.
To maximize future impact, stakeholders emphasized the need for simplified access to upcoming funding opportunities and requested enhanced support from implementing bodies to identify potential Romanian partners.
In response to these priorities, representatives of the Serbian National Authority within the Ministry of European Integration reassured participants that the required state budget co-financing allocations will be secured for the upcoming programming period.
Furthermore, dedicated thematic sessions will be organized in the near future to showcase the results of successful projects and foster new cross-border partnerships.
These sessions are part of wider consultation and preparation process for the next EU funding framework dedicated to Interreg. Combining feedback from these events with questionnaire responses from participants will help ensure that future initiatives build directly on past experience and address key local and regional priorities.
