Kikinda begins the development of a territorial strategy with EU support

The City of Kikinda has begun the process of developing a territorial strategy for the urban area with the support of the European Union, within the EU INTEGRA programme – EU Support to Integrated Territorial Development, which is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration. Through the programme component implemented by UNOPS, Kikinda will receive technical support in the development of the territorial strategy, which is intended to guide the future directions of the city’s development.

On the occasion of the start of the development of the territorial strategy, an introductory meeting was held today in Kikinda, at which Mayor Mladen Bogdan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with representatives of the EU INTEGRA programme, confirming commitment to further work on the development of the territorial strategy.

“The start of the development of the territorial strategy for the urban area of the City of Kikinda, following the approval of our application within the EU INTEGRA programme, represents an important moment for our city and confirmation that both the quality of the application and the development potentials that Kikinda has have been recognized. Our goal is to, in cooperation with partners, strategically assess key projects and development challenges and define the directions of the city’s development for the coming years, in the best interest of our fellow citizens,” said the Mayor of Kikinda, Mladen Bogdan. The Mayor emphasized that the strategy development process will be transparent and participatory, involving all relevant stakeholders as well as citizens, who will have the opportunity to express their needs and proposals. “It is particularly important to us that this strategy does not remain just a document, but that the measures and projects defined are actually implemented in practice,” Mladen Bogdan stressed.

Through the EU INTEGRA programme, the European Union provides support to integrated territorial development in 144 local self-governments in Serbia. In cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, the programme is implemented by the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities and UNOPS, which leads the component through which technical support is provided for the development of territorial strategies for eleven territories, including the City of Kikinda.

“Territorial strategies make it possible to assess the development potentials of a territory in an integrated manner and translate them into clearly defined priorities and projects, allowing investments to be directed to where they generate the greatest development impact for citizens,” said Olivera Kostić, Manager of the EU INTEGRA programme component led by UNOPS. Kostić recalled that the EU INTEGRA programme builds on the results of the EU PRO Plus programme, which, with the support of the European Union, piloted the implementation of integrated and sustainable territorial development through the development of 12 territorial strategies and the implementation of 18 integrated projects worth more than EUR 12 million.