In the opening remarks Tihomir Petković, Mayor of Užice, said that the city was lucky to have Switzerland as a partner: “Currently, we are directly involved in three projects financed by Switzerland. By a responsible approach to this partnership and concrete projects we hope to remain partner of Switzerland.”

Ursula Läubli, Director of the SCO, said that South and Southwest Serbia are in the focus of the Swiss cooperation: “We remain committed to the cooperation with this region in the next four years. We have an excellent cooperation with the Užice and surrounding municipalities, which is a good basis for our further collaboration.  Our cooperation is focused on the specific needs of the region and upon this we align our support. ”

Darko Đurović, Director of the Private Sector Development Program, stressed the unique Swiss position at the local level: “Initiatives based on sustainable strategic partnerships and clear focus on results are the main basis for response to the market needs. With this approach, we have managed to stimulate the creation of new jobs and additional revenues in the tourism and traditional products sectors in the past four years.”

Petar Vujadinović, secretary of the Užice Assembly summarized “Even though the financial support is precious, transfer of knowledge and experience from Switzerland seems even more valuable. Thanks to the experiences we have gained so far and future ones, we will be able to improve the work of the public administration.”

In Užice region Switzerland supports economic empowerment of women in rural areas, development of formal and non-formal  education in the private sector, public-private partnerships in the economy, efficient management of public finances, improvement of energy efficiency management, disaster risk reduction, biomass use, empowerment of parliament members in representation of citizens, public finances audit. Until now, Switzerland has supported this region with 6,6 million EUR.