Thursday, the 24th of February 2011 – on the premises of the, „Employees Club,“ the formal presentation of the Project, “Improvement of the living conditions, access to rights and employment of refugee and internally displaced persons in Serbia,” was held, a project funded by the European Union.  This occassion served as the venue where a plan for the allocation of 2.6 million euros of non-refundable resources was unveiled, assistance which is intended to support the efforts of those municipalities and cities which have implemented projects aimed at easing those problems commonly associated with the finding of employment for refugees and internally displaced persons. 

The event was attended by His Excellency the Ambassador, Mr. Vincent Degert, chief of the delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Vladimir Cucic, the Commissioner for Refugees and Mr. Zoran Martinovic, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and also by individual contributors who have submitted their proposals regarding the topic of social protection:  representatives of local governments, the Centre for Social Employment, service providers engaged in the process of providing social protection and the organizers of local, civil communities.

The Project, “Improvement of the living conditions, access to rights and employment of refugee and internally displaced persons in Serbia,” commenced in December of 2010 with the aim of contributing to the improvement of the conditions for employment facing refugee and internally displaced persons through the allocation of non-refundable financial assistance intended to support projects designed around the concept of social protection within the local community.

The total value of the non-refundable assistance which is to be allocated by the European Union amounts to 2.6 million euros which will go to support some 20 projects of various municipalities and cities in the Republic of Serbia.  The Project will provide for a variety of training programs aimed at supporting the self-sufficiency of internally displaced persons and will undertake various tasks on their behalf within the field of social protection.