European Cooperation Days

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The European Cooperation Day is an event dedicated to promoting territorial cooperation in Europe. It highlights positive results of projects implemented throughout different regions and different countries. The European Cooperation Day takes place as a local event in which the community can see first-hand how cooperating across borders improves life in and around Europe.

The European Cooperation Day is organized every year around 21 September when hundreds of cross-border celebrations are organized by Interreg programmes both in EU and neighbouring countries, with the joint idea to share borders and bring our neighbours together.

The Managing Authority and Joint Secretariat facilitate Programmes’s celebration of the European Cooperation Days every year. So far we organized European Cooperation Day’s in Skradin (HR), Šibenik (HR) and Sombor (RS). Scroll down for more information on past celebrations.

More info on the European Cooperation Day initiative can be found on the website www.ecday.eu.

EC DAY 2016

The European Cooperation Day 2016 was organised on 23 September in Skradin, a small Mediterranean town set in Šibenik’s hinterland. A ceremony held at the Square of Mala Gospa welcomed participants of both the Interreg IPA CBC Programme Croatia – Serbia 2014-2020 and the Interreg IPA CBC Programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2014-2020. After a short formal part of the ceremony, visitors listened to traditional Dalmatian music and took part in the “millennium photo”, which recorded the friendly relations between the countries participating in the two Programmes and cooperating across borders. Afterwards, participants visited the National Park Krka.

EC DAY 2017

The European Cooperation Day 2017 was celebrated on 7 October at St Michael’s Fortress, one of Šibenik’s most important fortresses that was revitalized using EU funds in 2014. Ms Gabrijela Žalac, Minister of Regional Development and EU funds, and Ms Stella Arneri, Director of the Agency for Regional Development of the Republic of Croatia, welcomed visitors of the event and shared their thoughts on the accomplishments of the Interreg IPA CBC Croatia – Serbia 2014-2020 Programmes and the Interreg IPA CBC Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2014-2020.

After the formal part of the European Cooperation Day programme, visitors had the chance to enjoy traditional music and learn about the traditional cuisine of our Programme areas.

EC DAY 2018

The European Cooperation Day 2018 was marked on 17 October with two children’s homes from Croatia and Serbia in Programme’s very own cross-border art project in Sombor, Serbia.

This year’s idea was to help create a cooperative Europe by letting the children lead the way and paint our future together in a form of a cross-border art project.

The event gathered children from SOS Children’s Village Ladimirevci (HR) and Home for Children Miroslav Mika Antić Sombor (RS). The program started with a theatre show performed by professional children facilitators, who delivered an important message to be caring, kind and considerate. After the show, the event moved outdoors and made the colouring and painting activities more fun. Groups of children from Croatia and Serbia decorated the T-shirts branded with this year’s logo, painted canvases with natural and cultural elements of our programme area and helped a professional street artist in painting a wall mural which depicted images of Sombor’s city house and Osijek’s secession bell and bridge over Drava. At the end of the event Programme provided gifts for all the children from participating homes to remember the fun times spent at European Cooperation day in Sombor.

Why have we chosen an event dedicated to children? We believe it’s the best way to highlight the role of children and young people in building the Europe they want. We believe it’s the best way to tell the story of cooperation between Croatia and Serbia as well.

EC DAY 2019

The European Cooperation Day 2019 under the slogan “Europe is YOU” will be celebrated at a public event in September in Croatia. Among all interesting surprises the Programme is preparing for the participants, this year we are also launching video competition.

What kind of video competition?

By organizing the EC Day 2019 video competition, our idea is to see what the European Union has done for citizens of Croatian and Serbian border regions. In line with the slogan of the EC Day 2019 – Europe is YOU – we want to hear your thoughts and feelings of being part of the Europe and how European Union benefits you.

You can make videos showing yourself talking about travelling, employment, volunteering or any other experience the European Union ensured for you, or videos that show drawing, writing, acting and similar scenes. We are looking for creative and original videos that will show the true spirit of the European Union.

The videos can be recorded with smartphones (but the quality should be at least 720p) and should be under 40 seconds.

Who can apply and when?

High school and university and college students are our main target groups, but the competition is open to all citizens living in the Programme area.

The competition is open from 17 May to 30 June 2019.

What’s the prize?

The video with the most original, innovative and creative way of showing what the European Union has done for him or her will win a Programme goodie bag including smart watch. For other finalists, the Programme has ensured some interesting awards as well!

How to apply?

See our rules of the video competition and send us the video with the filled in Application form. All the documents needed for application are listed below:

Rules (Terms of Reference) of the video competition

Application form: HR / RS / ENG

Authorization (for minors only). HR / RS / ENG

Feel free to share the video on Facebook, including the Programme’s Facebook page.

When will the winners be announced?

Authors of the best videos will be announced on our webpage during July 2019. Prizes will be handed out to winners at our European Cooperation Day event in September. The exact date, time and venue will be announced on our website.

We wish you lots of luck and creative ideas!

European Cooperation Days

EC DAY 2016

EC DAY 2017

EC DAY 2018

EC DAY 2019

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