About the German Development Cooperation
Serbia plays a key role in the political stability of Southeast Europe and is one of the most important partner countries for German development cooperation in the region. From the very beginning, the goal of German support has been to bring Serbia closer to the European Union and to strengthen the efficiency of the economy, to improve the living standards of citizens. The motto of our cooperation is therefore the “Initiative for Sustainable Growth and Employment”. All activities are aimed at strengthening peace, stability and the prosperity of the Western Balkan region.
Since the democratic changes in 2000, the German Federal Government has allocated more than EUR 2 billion for Serbia. Germany has thus become Serbia’s most important bilateral donor. In addition, Serbia benefits from a number of regional projects that are also funded by Germany.
The funds used for financing cooperation with Serbia are primarily from the budget of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). According to BMZ’s procedures, economic cooperation between Germany and Serbia is usually implemented through two organisations: KfW Development Bank is responsible for investment projects, while the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is responsible for consulting projects. In addition, many non-governmental organisations use BMZ funds to implement projects in Serbia.
As prerequisites for sustainable development, gender equality and women empowerment are being advanced in German Development Cooperation through the 2030 Agenda and cross-sectoral strategy on gender equality Gender mainstreaming, women empowerment and consideration of different needs of men and women in all relevant areas of work reflect the high commitment of German Development Cooperation to the topic.
Implemented by:
Serbia plays a key role in the political stability of Southeast Europe and is one of the most important partner countries for German development cooperation in the region. From the very beginning, the goal of German support has been to bring Serbia closer to the European Union and to strengthen the efficiency of the economy, to improve the living standards of citizens. The motto of our cooperation is therefore the “Initiative for Sustainable Growth and Employment”. All activities are aimed at strengthening peace, stability and the prosperity of the Western Balkan region.
Since the democratic changes in 2000, the German Federal Government has allocated more than EUR 1.8 billion for Serbia. Germany has thus become Serbia’s most important bilateral donor. In addition, Serbia benefits from a number of regional projects that are also funded by Germany.
The funds used for financing cooperation with Serbia are primarily from the budget of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). According to BMZ’s procedures, economic cooperation between Germany and Serbia is usually implemented through two organisations: KfW Development Bank is responsible for investment projects, while the German international development cooperation organisation (GIZ) is responsible for consulting projects. In addition, many non-governmental organisations use BMZ funds to implement projects in Serbia.
As prerequisites for sustainable development, gender equality and women empowerment are being advanced in German Development Cooperation through the 2030 Agenda and cross-sectoral strategy on gender equality Gender mainstreaming, women empowerment and consideration of different needs of men and women in all relevant areas of work reflect the high commitment of German Development Cooperation to the topic.
Implemented by:
Three Key Areas of Cooperation
Economic cooperation between Germany and Serbia is focused on three key areas agreed jointly by the governments of these countries.
The largest part of the funds, over EUR 1 billion, has been approved for environmental protection. Cooperation projects include modernisation and construction of public infrastructure for water supply, wastewater treatment and waste management, the electricity transmission system, energy efficient renovation of buildings and the construction of power plants using wind energy, biomass and solar energy. In addition, public institutions are provided with consultancy services in the sustainable use of resources. In this way we are making an important contribution to climate and environmental protection.
The improvement of democracy, civil society and the public administration is another important area of cooperation. In the light of Serbia’s accession to the European Union, judicial reform is one of the most important challenges. Support is provided to reforming the public financial management system at the national level. In addition, cooperation is established and maintained with local governments, the smallest administrative units that are closest to citizens who directly benefit from their services. We place special emphasis on supporting marginalised groups, including Roma, returnees and elderly people.
The motto of sustainable economic development, as one of the key areas of cooperation, is the creation of future prospects. Development cooperation between Germany and Serbia supports education projects for hard-to-employ people, supports the introduction of the dual system of vocational education in Serbia, encourages small and medium-sized enterprises and helps self-employed persons and enterprise founders. We are particularly focused on industries of the future, such as information and communication technology, the metal industry and organic farming.