Workshop on alignment with EU cohesion policy in Belgrade

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 05 NOV - The Ambassador of Italy to Serbia, Luca Gori, opened this morning together with the Minister of European Integration, Tanja Miscevic, the final event of the "Exchange Programme on Chapter 22 of the EU acquis", which concerns the alignment of national legislation with the European legislation on structural and cohesion funds. The workshop, organised by the Balkans Caucasus Transeuropa Observatory and CNR ISSIRFA at the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade, aimed to discuss the current state of the negotiation process on this chapter in Serbia, Albania Montenegro and North Macedonia and to analyse its future prospects. The project is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Central European Initiative fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). "Cohesion policy is an important pivot on the path to EU membership for Belgrade and the countries in the region. Through the harmonisation of national legislation with EU standards, in fact, not only does it bring the candidate countries closer to the EU, but it also promotes the development of the territories," Ambassador Gori stated. "Italy," he continued, "remains a convinced supporter of the need to accelerate the process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and is in favour of the opening of Cluster 3 with Belgrade.