In the presence of the EU Delegation to Serbia, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Payments Administration of Serbia, along with counterparts from Montenegro and North Macedonia, signed cooperation agreements as part of the EU’s IPARD agricultural grant program.
The delegation from Montenegro and North Macedonia attended the opening of the “Vinska Vizija Otvorenog Balkana” (Wine Vision of the Open Balkans) fair. Serbia’s government announced that the agreements were signed by Slobodan Nikolovski, Director of the Agricultural Payments Administration of Serbia; Marko Radonjić, Director of Montenegro’s IPARD Payment Directorate; and Ilija Stoilev, Director of North Macedonia’s Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture and Rural Development.
Plamena Halačeva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, welcomed the strengthened vision of the Western Balkans countries to make their agriculture more innovative, resilient, and sustainable. She highlighted that EU support is both significant and transformative, with the IPARD program empowering farmers, agricultural product processors, and entire rural communities to modernize and innovate their activities.
The EU supports Serbia’s agriculture with €463 million to implement the IPARD program, encouraging producers to enhance production and transform rural areas.
Slobodan Nikolovski, Director of the Agricultural Payments Administration of Serbia, stated that experts would focus on improving domestic measures to expedite the disbursement of funds to agricultural producers.
Marko Radonjić, Director of Montenegro’s IPARD Payment Directorate, emphasized that the agreement is a step forward for Montenegro towards closing chapters 11, 12, and 13 in its EU accession negotiations. He added that Montenegro’s absorption rate of IPARD funds exceeds 90%, with more financial support available for agricultural producers under IPARD III.
Ilija Stoilev, Director of North Macedonia’s Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture, noted that the three countries are destined to cooperate on aligning and implementing European legislation in agriculture with the support of the IPARD program. He also shared that North Macedonia’s absorption rate of IPARD funds stands at 85%, and the country is eager to share its experiences with Serbia and Montenegro’s agencies.
