EU Support to Local Self-governments in Developing Geographic Information Systems

The European Union (EU), trough EU PRO development Programme, will support realisation of 19 projects, selected through the public call, worth over two million Euros aimed to contribute to introduction and development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in 34 local self-governments[1] in the regions of Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia.

„By introducing Geographic Information Systems, the municipalities in Serbia will have the opportunity to create one of the main preconditions for sustainable development. The collection of data and the establishment of ownership and potentials registers are at the foundation of economic planning and investment interest at the local level. With our experience from the previous projects, we continue to support the introduction of GIS, taking into account the importance of this component, the needs of local governments and necessity of providing continuous support for similar activities“, Jadranka Joksimović, Minister of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia said.

The European Union will support local self-governments (LSGs) in the process of introducing and developing GIS by procuring software and hardware, and other computer equipment. This will facilitate gathering, processing and management of the geospatial data and result in better development planning, decision making and resource management in local administrations. In addition, the employees of LSGs will be trained for work in GIS.

„The European Union is committed to supporting all of the efforts that Government of Serbia is investing into digitalisation and establishment of e-government services. In line with this GIS provides a new capacity to the local administrations to collect and utilise various geographical data which will ultimately enhance efficiency in service provision to both citizens and investors. This is what we mean when we say "EU for You". As a result we expect this activity will significantly contribute to local economic development while enhancing the Infrastructure for spatial information in Europe - EU INSPIRE Directive,” Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi said.

Out of a total of 19 approved projects eight will be implemented in partnership of two or more local self-governments as this modality can maximise their development potentials and solve common problems. The development of GIS will inter alia create conditions for improving public infrastructure, better spatial and urban planning, and utilisation of tourist potentials, preserving and promoting natural, cultural and urban heritage, as well as property inventory and valuation. Ultimately, these interventions are expected to increase the number of investments and, consequently creation of new jobs.

In accordance with the criteria of the Public Call, the municipalities will participate financially in the realisation of projects with a total of 351,945 Euros, while during the implementation, the special focus will be on defining the GIS institutional framework and operating procedures and establishing cooperation of relevant institutions dealing with spatial data at the local and the national levels.

All 99 local self-governments[2] from the regions of Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia, included in the implementation of the EU PRO program were eligible to apply for the Public Call that was open from October 2 to December 30, 2018. A total of 33 proposals were submitted, of which the Program Steering Committee approved 19 projects for financing based on administrative, technical and programme evaluation.

The list of approved projects is available on the Programme website here.