The first stage of the Leadership Academy for Cross-Border Cooperation have started today (03.06.2019) in the border region Bulgaria-Serbia with the opening ceremony in the City Hall of Pirot (Serbia). The academy is organized by the Council of Europe, City of Pirot, Euroregion Nišava and Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives Balkans (Cesci Balkans).

Representatives of the municipalities and institutions from Bulgaria (Kostinbrod, Slivnica, Dragoman, Sofia region) and Serbia (Pirot region, City of Pirot, Dimitrovgrad, Babušnica, Bela Palanka, Euroregion Nišava) are participating in the first stage of the LAP for CBC.

After Serbia’s ratification of the Madrid Convention Euroregion Nišava has launched an initiative to establish an (institutionalized) cross-border structure which will include cities and municipalities from both sides of the border but in the later stages from Romania also. The Academy programme supports this initiative to meet the large need for support not only in capacity building perspectives but also in legal aspects of this complex trilateral cooperation.