At a public forum held in Novi Sad as part of the process of developing the Territorial Strategy for the Urban Area of the City of Novi Sad and the municipalities of Bački Petrovac, Bačka Palanka, Bač, Odžaci and Apatin, representatives of local self-governments, the Bačka Regional Development Agency, institutions and the local community discussed how to better connect the development potential of these six local self-governments and identify common development directions for the entire territory.
The development of the Territorial Strategy is supported by the European Union through the EU Support to Integrated Territorial Development – EU INTEGRA programme, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration. The Programme is implemented by the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Within the component of the Programme implemented by UNOPS, local self-governments receive technical support for developing territorial strategies and strengthening their capacities to apply integrated territorial development instruments in line with the European Union’s cohesion policy.
“The Territorial Strategy provides us with an opportunity to consider the development of Novi Sad, Bački Petrovac, Bačka Palanka, Bač, Odžaci and Apatin as an interconnected and functional whole. Each of these local self-governments has its own needs and potential, but there are also issues that we can address more effectively by working together. It is therefore important that, through this process, we identify and define joint project ideas that can benefit citizens and contribute to the development of the entire territory,” said Biljana Andrić from Novi Sad, Coordinator of the Working Group for the development of the Territorial Strategy for the Urban Area of the City of Novi Sad and the municipalities of Bački Petrovac, Bačka Palanka, Bač, Odžaci and Apatin.
She added that the territory is already connected through its economy, labour market, education, services and the daily movement of people, which is why it is important to further strengthen these links and place them in the service of the development of the entire area.
“The process of developing this Strategy enables Novi Sad and its partner municipalities to apply in practice the integrated territorial development approach also used by EU Member States. This means jointly assessing the needs and potential of the territory, agreeing on development priorities and ideas, and preparing projects that will help improve the quality of life for citizens across the entire territory. Such experience is important for further strengthening the integrated territorial development system in Serbia and preparing the local and regional levels to apply the territorial instruments of the European Union’s cohesion policy,” said Milica Ralević, representative of the Ministry of European Integration.
“Through the EU INTEGRA programme, we are continuing to develop and apply the integrated territorial development model piloted through EU PRO Plus, now across ten territories. In larger territories, this approach creates opportunities for local self-governments to connect by jointly designing initiatives and creating a unified economic and tourism offer, a more functional labour market and better transport links to facilitate the movement of people within the territory. The participation of local stakeholders is important throughout the entire process, while the Public Forum enables the proposals developed so far to be further considered by a broader group of participants,” said Viktor Veljović, Capacity Development Manager within the UNOPS-implemented component of the EU INTEGRA programme.
The public forum also featured artworks by pupils from the “Svetozar Marković Toza” Primary School and the “Miroslav Antić” Primary School in Futog, who presented their visions of the environment in which they would like to grow up and live as part of the “My City in the Future” art competition.
