PALILULA "SPORTS ZONE" OPENED
9.10.2015

In elementary school "Branko Miljkovic" , Niš was opened "Sports Zone" and Sport Festival held with the support of IPA funds of the European Union. This is a part of the cross-border cooperation Bulgaria-Serbia, "Strengthening territorial cohesion in the border region through the development of social infrastructure in the field of sport - Development of Sports" which was implemented by the partner municipalities Berkovitsa (Republic of Bulgaria) and City Municipality of Palilula-Niš,.

Young people of Palilula got the skate park, gym and outdoor artificial rock. In the presence of Boban Džunić, president of Palilula Municipality, this investment worth about 110,000 euros, was promoted by Sanda Šimić, assistant director of the Office for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia - Sector for cross-border and transnational cooperation, Gergana Antonova, Deputy Mayor Berkovitsa Project Manager, Tomislav Filipov, project coordinator from Municipality Berkovitsa, consultants on the project Kostadin Kostadinov and Stanislav Getsov, Miroslav Stanić haedmaster of school "Branko Miljkovic", a delegation of young of Municipality of Berkovitsa, the Office for Youth of Palilula.

Thanks to a partnership on the project residents of these two towns were given sports centers - "sports zone" for recreational and sports activities for young people. Sports center and reconstructed stadium in Berkovitsa, investment worth 660,000 euros, was opened by the beginning of September this year, the heads of partner Municipalities in the presence of Boyko Borisov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria. With the organization Sport Festival in Palilula, which was held from October 8 -10 under the motto "Day of Challenge-Get to know your neighbors through sports" one year programme actvitites on the project have been successfully completed.

"It is a great pleasure and honor that we have this cross-border project led to the end. We showed that the Municipality Palilula is one of the most successful municipalities in the region in achieving the CBC. It was on this occasion confirmed by Sanda Šimić on the behalf of the European Integration Office of the Republic of Serbia, said Boban Džunić, president of Palilula Municipality. I hope that we will be even more successful in the new cycle of IPA. I expect that the systemic solution in the Serbian government, get a support fund for mandatory participation approved projects. With the realization of this project the applicants will return this "loan" back to the fund for new users that would even give greater stimuli withdrawal of funds from the EU. According to Sanda Simic, Assistant Director of the Office for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia - Sector for cross-border and transnational cooperation "Serbia is participating in eight of the CBC programmes," The Office that I come from implements these type of programs. We have had a really wonderful results in the previous period and this is a program that relates to financial and budgetary part of the EU to 2007.do 2014. From 2014 to 2020, we expect a new cycle of project activities that will support the interests and needs of young people in the region. The call for projects is ongoing, said Sanda Šimić. The coordinator of the project in the Municipality of Berkovitsa, Tomislav Filipov, is satisfied with this partner cooperation between the two municipalities. "I hope this is not our last cooperation and I believe that we will meet again on a new project. The team working over the past year was excellent. Miroslav Stanić, director of elementary school "Branko Miljkovic" added that "Sports Zones" already are in use, that regular visitors are school children, but also children from the area in which are more than 10,000 inhabitants. Parents now come also with small children to the schoolyard to play and use the playground, but also older residents of the settlement.

In addition to the construction of sports facilities in the two cities, the special value of the project makes also social inclusion - says Boban Džunić, president of Palilula Municipality. Young people from two cities, thanks to this project, are more socialized and met. It has been promoting healthy lifestyles, regional cooperation in the field of sports and social activities, but also strengthens capacities of Municipal management.