On 17.03.2023, in the restaurant “Floar” in the presence of about 80 citizens, the Municipality of Bogovinje successfully held the session of the second Forum in the community, forums which are organized within the project “Empowerment of municipal councils – Phase 2”, financed by the Swiss Embassy and the Ministry of local self-government and co-financed by UNDP and aim to involve citizens in the decision-making process at the municipal level.
In the second session of the Forum, the moderator presented the criteria for choosing the project, and then the citizens presented proposals – concepts, which will be solutions to the many problems they face as citizens. These proposals – concepts have emerged from the citizens’ proposals in the first session and are in the field of municipal infrastructure. In the following, proposal – concepts will be processed in the form of proposal – projects and the most priority ones will be financed by the project and with co-financing from the municipality.
The mayor of the Municipality of Bogovinje, Besnik Emshiu, thanked everyone for their participation and contribution.
In the framework of the Cross-Border Cooperation of the European Union, North Macedonia – Albania (IPA 2) for the CROSS BORDER “FIRESHIELD” project, with a focus on improving fire protection and response systems in cooperation with neighboring municipalities from North Macedonia and Albania as a project that must be implemented until August 2024, on March 8, 2023, the Minister of local self-government in North Macedonia, Mr. Risto Penov, inspected the progress of the works at the station being built.
This project includes the joint efforts of three municipalities – Vrapçisht and Bogovinje in North Macedonia and Cerrik Municipality and the non-governmental organization Caritas in Albania, to contribute to the protection of the environment in the cross-border area by improving the public infrastructure for risk management.
The Minister of local self-government emphasizes that the project will contribute to the protection of the environment and the prevention of forest fires in the cross-border area, which is of crucial importance for preserving our natural resources and guaranteeing the safety of our citizens. This project shows the commitment of North Macedonia and Albania to work together towards common goals and to strengthen our ties as neighboring countries. The Ministry of local self-government will cover the expenses from the Macedonian side in the amount of 15 percent, said Minister Penov. “I call on all parties involved to closely cooperate and actively engage in the project to ensure that it achieves its goals and brings lasting benefits to the cross-border region. It’s time to work together to protect our environment and protect our communities from the devastating effects of wildfires,” he added. This project is an excellent example of the commitment of the European Union to promote regional integration, development and cohesion. This project is helping to strengthen relations and promote cooperation and solidarity between neighboring countries, simultaneously improving fire protection and response systems for the benefit of communities and the environment,” concluded the minister. He added that special anti-disaster equipment has been purchased for the Cerrik Municipality fire department and a 20-person volunteer disaster response system will also be created and equipped, which will include retired military personnel and local residents from rural areas in the cross-border region.
Furthermore, 8,200 primary school students will raise awareness of forest fire prevention and the consequences of forest fires on the environment, as well as fire alarms will be installed in 3 primary schools. More than 25,000 rural households and over 110,000 people from the rural areas of the cross-border area will also raise awareness about fire and forest fire prevention.
This project is funded under IPA II call, CBC, EuropeAid/170339/DD/ACT/MK
On 03.03.2023, in the restaurant “Floar” with the presence of about 100 of its citizens, the Municipality of Bogovinje successfully held the session of the first Forum in the community, forums which are organized within the project “Empowerment of municipal councils – Phase 2”. financed by the Swiss Embassy and the Ministry of Local Self-Government and co-financed by UNDP and aimed at involving citizens in the decision-making process at the municipal level.
In this forum there were active participants from different profiles, settlements and institutions, all giving their contribution and expressing the various problems they encounter as citizens of the Municipality of Bogovinje.
Infrastructure was selected as the priority topic of this forum, and within the framework of the same, citizens will work on generating ideas and creating concrete projects that will be financed by the project and co-financed by the Municipality. The total estimated value for projects reaches up to 40,000 dollars, which will be used to finance the projects that will be selected in these forums by the citizens.
The mayor of the Municipality of Bogovinje thanked everyone for their participation and contribution.
