Improvement of the tourist offer of Eastern Serbia with the EU support - work on the beaches on Lake Bovan in Sokobanja

The works are carried out within the Magic of Eastern Serbia project that envisages enhancing sustainable tourism in the territory that includes all four local self-governments in the Zaječarski district. European Union funds of almost 1.2 million Euros, extended through the EU PRO Plus programme implemented by UNOPS in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, will be invested in tourist and recreational facilities in Zaječar, Knjaževac, Sokobanja and Boljevac, in order to create a unified tourist offer.

In the municipality of Knjaževac, works on the expansion and development of the Banjica complex are nearing completion, where in addition to works on the communal infrastructure, water supply and sewerage network, the parking lot will be expanded and new sports fields and a children's park with new equipment will be built.

As part of the project, the city of Zaječar is working on the completion of the construction and furnishing of 16 bungalows in the youth camp in the "Kraljevica" forest park, which is a gathering place for youth and children, scouts and mountaineers. The construction of the canteen and communal toilets for guests who plan to camp here is also planned.

In the municipality of Boljevac, a pump track training ground for cyclists, rollerbladers and skaters, covering an area of ​​750 meters, will be built. There will also be a 1,300-meter-long trim track with exercise equipment while the municipality will place tourist signage to mark tourist attractions and cultural and historical heritage.

With this EU support, the entire Zaječarski district works to improve tourism and additionally activates its natural and tourist potentials, such as Stara Planina, Rtanj, Bovan Lake, the natural source of thermal water in the Rgoška spa, as well as archaeological sites, including Felix Romuliana. Through the project, which is implemented in cooperation with RARIS, the Regional Agency for the Development of Eastern Serbia, a joint tourist product will be developed, i.e. a card that will enable tourists the to visit several tourist attractions, localities, museums with one combined card, thus extending their stay in this territory.

The Magic of Eastern Serbia project derived from the Strategy for the Development of the Urban Area of ​​the City of Zaječar and the Municipalities of Boljevac, Knjaževac and Sokobanja, developed with the EU support through the EU PRO Plus, lays the foundation for the sustainable development of the entire territory. This is one of 18 integrated projects, derived from territorial strategies, which the European Union supports with more than 9.6 million Euros through the EU PRO Plus. These projects will activate the potentials and resources of given territories, solve common problems and promote the joint work of larger cities and smaller municipalities, with the active participation of the civil and business sector and local communities, thus contributing to a better life for  residents in 30 local self- governments.

The EU support to integrated territorial development continues through the EU INTEGRA programme, which since January this year has been implemented by the Standing Conference of Cities and Municipalities (SCTM) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration. The programme funded by the EU with 15 million Euros aims to modernise local self-governments in Serbia through the implementation of European models for integrated territorial and sustainable urban development that have been piloted through EU PRO Plus.