Annual Workshop of the Regional Development Centres

This year’s three-day Conference on Accountability of the Centers for Development of the eight planning regions in the Republic of North Macedonia is being held in Gevgelija, hosted by South-East Planning Region. The conference was opened by the Minister of Local Self-Government, Mr. Zlatko Perinski, in front of an audience consisting of senior representatives of the Swiss Development Agency, the Bureau for Regional Development, as well as mayors from all regions.

The Centre for development of the South-East Planning Region actively participated in the conference, presenting all projects implemented in the past year, along with current activities and future development plans. The second day was dedicated to the identification and coordination of donor funds within the framework of the “Fundraising” workshop, aimed at finding financial resources for new projects. The final part of the conference was reserved for the presentation of the activities of the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the Bureau for Regional Development to support balanced regional development in 2025.

Like previous years, this conference enabled networking, team-building, exchange of experiences and promotion of regional values ​​and brands, all in the spirit of the joint mission for balanced development, with the aim of improving the quality of life of citizens – from regional to national level.

   

 

We successfully implemented “Day of the region”!

On 03.12.2024, at the City Gallery in Strumica, the event “Day of the South-East Planning Region” was held, organized by the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region, within the framework of the project “Sustainable and Inclusive Balanced Regional Development – Phase 2,” financially supported by the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development.
The best of the region was discussed – innovations, ideas and visions for the future.

The event was a platform for presenting the achievements and potential of the region, attracting a wide range of participants, including representatives from local authorities, the academic community, the civil sector and the private sector. During the day, participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the new Communication Strategy for the promotion of the region, which will contribute to better cooperation with the community and increased visibility of regional initiatives.

The event featured inspiring panel discussions covering key topics for the development of the region, such as the role of municipalities as a pillar of regional progress, the implementation of green practices and circular economy as drivers of sustainability, as well as opportunities for development through tourism and the preservation of cultural heritage.
A special moment was the video presentation of the South-East region, which highlighted the dynamics of development and the future potential of the region, inspiring attendees to think about new opportunities for cooperation.

The event ended with an informal networking and cocktail, where participants shared their ideas for future collaborations. We look forward to seeing the results of this initiative and following our region’s path to a better future!

The Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region – part of the networking at the European Commission and the European Parliament in Brussels!

The Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region participated in high-profile events organized by the ACRID Network, focused on strengthening leadership skills and effectively utilizing funding opportunities through the European Union.

Participants received practical guidance on:

✅ Preparing for the upcoming Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ calls for 2025.

✅ Strengthening leadership capacities to develop successful funding strategies.

✅ Building strong project consortia for future initiatives.

✅ Analyzing funding opportunities through programs such as Horizon Europe, LIFE+, and SMP.
✅ Developing partnerships within eight thematic areas.
✅ Discussion on energy, transport, environment, and industry.
✅ Promoting a circular economy and addressing resource constraints.
✅ Encouraging digital, green, and advanced technologies to strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness.

The visit of the European Commission and the European Parliament enabled a direct exchange of experiences with European institutions that are actively working to support regional growth, innovation and sustainable development.

During the gala dinner organized by the hosts, the SEBCoVE project was officially promoted by all the present partners and the attendees had the opportunity to learn about the key activities implemented within the project, as well as the expected results.

Through its participation, the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region:
– Strengthened international partnerships and opened new opportunities for joint projects.
– Provided access to innovation resources and platforms to support sustainable initiatives.
– Received valuable guidance for harmonizing regional strategies with the priorities of the European Union

These activities represent a significant step forward in ensuring sustainable, inclusive and innovation-oriented development for the South-East region.

The South-East planning region towards energy independence with new photovoltaic power plants

The Centre for development of the South-East planning region has successfully implemented the project “Energy Efficient Region” for the construction of photovoltaic power plants for the municipalities of Radovish, Konche and Vasilevo, for which a promotional event was held on 22.11.2024. The event was attended by the Minister of Local Self-Government, Mr. Zlatko Perinski, the Mayors of the municipalities involved in the project, representatives of the Ministry and the project office, as well as other guests.

Mr. Pirinski emphasized that this is a very important project, not only due to the reduction of electricity consumption, but also due to the long-term energy security and preservation of the natural environment. “It is an excellent example of inter-municipal cooperation, which can be applied in other regions, enabling the improvement of the quality of life and support for economic growth,” Perinski pointed out.

The Director of the Centre, Gjoko Kamchev, added that this project is a significant step towards creating an energy-independent region. “The project is focused on the integration of new software solutions for the use and production of electricity from alternative sources. Additionally, efficient monitoring and redirection of the produced energy is envisaged where it is most needed at a given moment. With this, the South-East Planning Region sets an example for how regions should move towards sustainable development,” Kamchev stressed.

The photovoltaic power plants will contribute to a significant reduction in electricity costs in the three municipalities. The produced energy will be distributed according to the following principle: 25% for the municipalities of Konche and Vasilevo, while 50% will belong to the Municipality of Radovish. These savings will enable the municipalities to direct funds to other development priorities, such as improving education and infrastructure.

The total investment in the project is around 23 million denars, with financial support from the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the Swiss Development Agency, as well as participation from the three municipalities.

The project is implemented within the framework of the grant scheme of the project “Sustainable and Inclusive Balanced Regional Development – Second Phase.” With such initiatives, the Centre for development of the South-East planning region continues to improve the quality of life and create conditions for sustainable development in the region.

SEBCoVE project partners held an event in Skopje

The SEBCoVE project team of the CDSEPR was part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Union of Chambers of Commerce, where the event “Tripartite Cooperation for Knowledge in Green and Digital Transition” was held within its framework. Through three sessions, the participants discussed the benefits of building smart buildings as a new step towards introducing innovative solutions within the framework of the green economy in our country.

The event presented the key activities and expected results of the SEBCoVE project, with a special focus on the need to develop specialized courses and training for smart electricity. The discussions identified the needs of the industry and ways to align current educational programs with these new trends. In this regard, the initiative to open a Center for Education for Smart Technologies within the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region (CDSEPR) was highlighted.

The event was enriched by senior representatives from the business sector and institutions, including the President of the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Trajan Angelovski, Vice Presidents Orce Simov, Goran Gjorgievski and Dragan Pehchevski, as well as Aleksandar Nikolovski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction and Transport, who addressed the attendees, emphasizing the importance of such initiatives for the economic development of the country.

SEBCoVE continues its mission to advance knowledge and innovation in the green and digital transition, creating new opportunities for professional development and applicable education in this area.

CDSEPR ORGANIZED A WORKSHOP WITH TOPPIC “DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES IN PLANNING REGIONS”

On November 5, 2024, at Hotel Sirius, the Centre for Development of the South-East Planning Region organized a workshop on the topic “Development of social services in planning regions” within the framework of the project “Sustainable and Inclusive Balanced Regional Development—phase 2.”

Representatives from all ten municipalities in the South-East region who take active participation in social protection attended the event. Also, the directors of the Centres for Social Work, representatives of the Red Cross, and non-governmental organizations were present on the event.

 

In his speech, Mr. Risto Manchev, President of the Council for Social Protection of the South-East Region, emphasized the importance of developing a network of social services that will meet the needs of citizens and encourage inclusive and sustainable development.
“It is important to recognize the specific needs of different groups – from children and youth, through people with disabilities, to older generations,” he added.

The participants made an active contribution through working in groups and solving practical tasks, creating a productive working atmosphere.

Prepared technical documentation for the installation of fast chargers for electric vehicles

With the support of the project “Strengthening the municipal capacities for the implementation of projects”, the South-East planning region produced technical documentation for the installation of fast chargers for electric vehicles. The documentation includes 20 separate projects for all 10 municipalities in the region – Strumica, Radovish, Vasilevo, Konche, Gevgelija, Valandovo, Dojran, Bogdanci, Bosilovo and Novo Selo.

This is the first project of this kind in the region and in the country, the Centre for development of the South-East planning region announced. The documentation will serve as a basis for securing investments for sustainable transport solutions in the territory of these municipalities.

“Our next goal is, through coordinated efforts with the municipalities and the competent state institutions, to secure the necessary financial resources for the gradual construction of the e-chargers at the planned locations. The installation of these fast chargers of 150 kw and the possibility of their expansion to 220 kw, will open new opportunities for the development of tourism in the South-East planning region and attracting a greater number of tourists who use electric vehicles. In addition, this infrastructure will play a significant role in reducing pollution, improving the quality of life and increasing the use of clean energy, which will contribute to the ecological and economic progress of the region,” said Mr. Gjoko Kamchev, Director of the Centre for development of the South-East planning region.

The project “E-chargers for electric vehicles: technical documentation” was implemented with the support of the Technical Documentation Fund. This fund was established as an instrument for financial and technical support in the management of infrastructure projects, as part of the UNDP project “Strengthening municipal capacities for project implementation”, which is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Local Self-Government, through financial support provided by the Embassy of Sweden in Skopje and the Regional Development Bureau. Part of the financial resources were also provided by the municipalities in the South-East region.

Tripartite Knowledge Cooperation in Green and Digital Transition – SEBCoVE

Today, in the “La Terrazza” hotel in Dojran, the important event “Tripartite cooperation for knowledge in green and digital transition” was held, organized within the SEBCoVE – Smart Electricity for Buildings project, financed by the European Commission. The event was organized by the partners of the project: Center for Development of the South-Eastern Planning Region, Union of Chambers of Commerce of Macedonia and Emkice KIC.

The event was attended by senior representatives from the public and private sectors, including the Minister of Digital Transformation, the Minister of Local Self-Government and the Minister of Public Administration of the Republic of Macedonia and mayors from the region. Also present were representatives of embassies in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as a representative from the European Commission and the Euroembassy. Experts from the Tesla Science Center in New York, as well as prestigious professors and researchers from various universities and institutes from Europe and the United States, also had their addresses.

Within three panel discussions, the participants had the opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences on the future activities of the SEBCoVE project, digitalization, innovations in smart cities and villages, as well as trends in green and digital transformation policies for local and regional economic development.
The SEBCoVE project, which will be implemented in the next three years in seven European countries, including Macedonia, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, with a total budget of 3 million euros. The aim of this project is to support digital transformation and energy efficiency in public buildings, through the cooperation of some of the best experts and organizations in Europe.

The event continues tomorrow, where attendees will continue their journey through the beauties of the Southeast region with an informal exchange of ideas and building new partnerships.

PROVIDED FUNDS FOR NEW REGIONAL PROJECTS

Through the Program for balanced regional development for 2023 with indicatively planned funds for 2024, the Centre for the Development of the South-East Planning Region provided funds for the realization of four new projects.

On November 27, 2023, Director Gjoko Kamchev signed contracts for the realization of projects in the total amount of MKD 47,609,475.00 provided by the Regional Development Bureau for the following projects:

“Take a step – protect the environment” for which a total of 11,190,188.00 denars are provided and partners are the municipalities of Strumica, Konche and Vasilevo;
“Improving the Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings in the South-Eastern Planning Region” for which a total of 19,683,056.00 denars have been provided and partners are the municipalities of Bosilovo, Gevgelija and Radovish;
“Dojran – a Mediterranean pearl in the Southeast” for which a total of 8,061,143.00 denars have been provided, in which the municipality of Dojran appears as a partner;
“South-East region – opportunity for new tourist adventures” for which a total of 8,675,088.00 denars have been provided, in which the municipalities of Vasilevo, Novo Selo and Bogdanci appear as partners.
Apart from the funds provided by the Regional Development Bureau, the municipal partners in the projects also participate with funds in the total amount of about 20 million denars, provided by the municipal budgets.

In the coming period, the Centre will work on the implementation of the activities of these projects with the aim of improving the living conditions of all citizens in the South-East planning region.

PRIORITY PROJECTS FOR 2024 VOTED AT THE SECOND FORUM SESSION

On November 24, 2023, the second forum session was held in Hotel Car Samuil. The participants had the opportunity to prioritize the concepts for project proposals that arose from the identified problems and proposed solutions at the first forum session.

In the period between the two forum sessions, an initial analysis of the benefits and costs for each of the project concepts was prepared by the appointed experts. Such analyzes were presented before the forum, and after the presentation of the rules, the vote was taken.

The proposal concepts were ranked in the following order:

Improving the infrastructure in the South-East planning region through the construction and reconstruction of local streets;
Strengthening tourism, improving roads: a vision for a better region!
Procurement of a fire fighting vehicle – Tanker with a capacity of 10,000 liters;
Procurement of 10 (ten) electric vehicles (vans) for the municipalities in the South-East planning region;
Arrangement of recreational park Toplik and Smart City Dojran – 2 phase;
Reconstruction of a large hall for events in Pionerski dom – Gevgelija;
Construction of part of a fecal collector for new urban blocks no. 35-42, Urban Unit 5 in Strumica, Municipality of Strumica.
In the coming period, this list will be presented to the Council for the Development of the South-East Planning Region. After their consideration, a Decision will be made to establish a priority list of regional project proposals with which the Centre for Development will apply through the Program for Balanced Regional Development for 2023 with indicative planned funds for 2024 to the Bureau for Regional Development, of course taking into account the vote from the Second Forum Session.

The regional forum sessions were organized within the project “Sustainable and Inclusive Balanced Regional Development – Phase 2” financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Government of the Republic of S. Macedonia, represented by the Ministry of Local Self-Government.