The conference in Sremski Karlovci was held in the period
8-11. May 2022. 39 participants from 9 countries took part in the Conference:
Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and
Serbia.
The participants came on May 8 and were accommodated in the
“Dunav” hotel in Sremski Karlovci. For the participants who came by
air, transport was organized from the airport in Belgrade to Sremski Karlovci.
The work of the conference began on May 9, 2022 in the Main Hall
of the municipality of Sremski Karlovci. After introductory speeches by the
host representatives, project managers and representatives of the Ministry of
Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, a presentation was held in front
of the Contact Point for the CERV Programme of the Republic of Croatia on the
promotion of the new CERV Programme of the European Union.
Participants were acquainted with the changes that followed the completion of the Europe for Citizens program and received information on new rules and requirements related to the CERV Program. In this way, both the EU and new funding mechanisms available to beneficiaries from different countries have been promoted. Beneficiaries from candidate countries have been informed that by the end of 2022, status changes are expected to become eligible for participation in the new program.
In the next presentation, Mrs. Lisy Piter reminded everyone present that May 9 stands for Europe Day, that the Schuman Declaration became the foundation for the creation of the EU and that the memory of the day of signing the Declaration is the theme of the DESIRE Project and Conference.
In the continuation of the conference, all partners from 9 countries presented their videos or presentations from local events that preceded this Conference and which were realized during the 3 phases envisaged by the Project. After the morning work, the participants gathered for a working lunch at the Hotel “Prezident” in Sremski Karlovci.
After the working lunch, a meeting of the representatives of
the partners was held in the office of the citizens’ association “Danube
1245”, where the partners presented the activities of their organizations
and the possibility of further cooperation on European programs was discussed.
The representative of the Portuguese partner presented the experiences from the
local community of Valongo in working with children of different ages and how
the municipal administration supports the participation of the youngest in the
life of the local community. It was agreed that the partners would be in
contact and that the Portuguese partner would inform the other partners about
its activities in order to consider possible cooperation.
In the afternoon part of the Conference, a historical lesson
on the signing of the Karlovci Peace from 1699 was organized for all
participants, at the exact place of signing this peace in the Chapel of Peace,
followed by a concert of spiritual and renaissance music, paying tribute to
Europe Day. After the concert, a dinner was organized for all participants in
the Hotel “Danube”.
On the second day of the Conference, a tour of Sremski Karlovci was organized accompanied by a guide from the tourist organization of the municipality of Sremski Karlovci and a visit to the European Capital of Culture, the city of Novi Sad, where the central celebration of Europe Day in Serbia was organized. After the tour, a lunch was organized for the participants in the Hotel “Vojvodina” in Novi Sad.
After returning to Sremski Karlovci, a tour of the private collection of exhibits of the Museum of Beekeeping and Winery of the Zivanovic family was organized for all participants, with wine and honey tasting.
