"Responsibility for south of Serbia"

Coordination Center Director for Southern Serbia says the opening of higher education institutions will prevent exodus of young people from the Presevo Valley. Milan Markovic, who is also the minister of public administration and local self-government, says that the Coordination Center will no longer finance projects in the south of Serbia, as it has done up to now. "Responsibility for south of Serbia" Under the new state plan, the Coordination Center will not have its own budget to finance projects in the south of the country—instead, that will be the responsibility of the competent ministries and private companies. Markovic said that companies that decided to build their plants in that region would receive major privileges. “For instance, 25 percent of the investment would come from the state. That includes EUR 5,000 per employee, together with exemptions from all local utility taxes in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja,” he said. Markovic believes that the opening of educational institutions in accordance with the Bologna Declaration will check the exodus of the young population from that region. "I don’t think that it’s a problem for us to finance the translation of all textbooks into Albanian. Why not? Those kids have the chance to study in their mother tongue. It is important for them to speak Serbian as well. They are handicapped if they don’t speak the official language of the country they live in,” he said. Markovic once again called on Albanian leaders from the south of Serbia to return to the Coordination Centre, and to tackle all the issues together.

"Responsibility for south of Serbia"

Under the new state plan, the Coordination Center will not have its own budget to finance projects in the south of the country—instead, that will be the responsibility of the competent ministries and private companies.

Marković said that companies that decided to build their plants in that region would receive major privileges.

“For instance, 25 percent of the investment would come from the state. That includes EUR 5,000 per employee, together with exemptions from all local utility taxes in Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa,” he said.

Marković believes that the opening of educational institutions in accordance with the Bologna Declaration will check the exodus of the young population from that region.

"I don’t think that it’s a problem for us to finance the translation of all textbooks into Albanian. Why not? Those kids have the chance to study in their mother tongue. It is important for them to speak Serbian as well. They are handicapped if they don’t speak the official language of the country they live in,” he said.

Marković once again called on Albanian leaders from the south of Serbia to return to the Coordination Centre, and to tackle all the issues together.