Vesić signed contracts with the mayors of Sombor and Valjevo within the framework of the LIID Project
Vesić signed contracts with the mayors of Sombor and Valjevo within the framework of the LIID Project
The Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić signed with the mayors of Sombor and Valjevo, Antonije Ratković and Lazar Gojković, contracts on the allocation of grants for the implementation of projects in those cities as part of the LIID Project.
It is a program for the development of local infrastructure and institutional strengthening of local self-government units, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, the French Development Agency and the World Bank, and through which a total of 270 million euros will be allocated to local self-governments over the next five years.
After the signing in the Government of Serbia, Vesić stated that the LIID Project is probably the one that best contributes to the comfort of citizens’ lives.
“There are a lot of projects that are both bigger and more valuable in terms of money, but there is none that, like this one, makes it possible to improve the quality of life of people in local communities and thus contribute to making every place in Serbia a better place to live,” he said.
He stated that the LIID Project is important because it will be implemented in every local community, which means that the benefits of the project will be felt by citizens in all 145 local communities in Serbia.
“It is important that in this way we promote urban mobility, bicycle paths in local communities… which often local communities do not have enough funds for implementation, so it is important that citizens feel that we are investing in the municipalities where they live,” said Vesić.
He called on local communities that have not yet submitted their projects to do so in order to enter the procedure for receiving funds.
“Together with partners from the World Bank and the French Development Agency, we are trying to make the procedure as fast as possible and to approve new funds for new projects so that the ‘LIID’ project will be completed even before the planned year of 2028,” said Vesić, adding that he is sure that the project will be realized before the planned deadline, which will be a good reason for the continuation of similar projects.
The Mayor of Valjevo, Lazar Gojković, thanked the Ministry, the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the entire team working on the LIID Project and emphasized that Valjevo received 2,139,000 euros.
“As part of this project, we planned a complete reconstruction of one of the most important and busiest roads in the city,” said Gojković.
The Mayor of Sombor, Antonio Ratković, said that such projects are what local governments need.
“I am glad that today Sombor signed a contract worth 90.5 million dinars, through which four pedestrian and bicycle paths will be built,” Ratković said.
He added that Sombor is a city of cyclists and that they have been investing in that segment for years, but they needed this project in order to complete all of the bike paths.
“Sombor will receive a total of about 2.5 million euros through the LIID project, and apart from these four bicycle paths, two more such paths, a roundabout, as well as landscaped squares in four populated areas will be built,” said Ratković.
