COOPERATION WITH THE WORLD BANK

World Bank – Republic of Serbia Competitiveness and Jobs Project

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The World Bank) and the Republic of Serbia agreed a loan of 100 million dollars to be used for the funding of the Competitiveness and Jobs Project that will be implemented in Serbia by 30 June 2019.

The bilateral Loan Agreement was signed on 7 October 2015, while the Law on Confirmation of the Agreement was adopted by the National Assembly of the RS on 29 December 2015, and published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia (under the section International Agreements) No. 24/15. the Agreement entered into force on 7 January 2016.

The Project aims to improve the efficiency and coordination of selected public programmes with a view to diminishing hindrances to competitiveness and job creation but also to investment and export promotion, innovation, active employment measures, labour market intermediation, and engagement of social welfare beneficiaries and their transition to formal employment. The Project is focused on a targeted set of feasible reforms of public policies in place and the efficiency of their implementation, particularly those policies identified as key drivers of competitiveness in the business sector and job creation through the Bank’s analyses and other relevant analyses

Activities mainly target areas where the Government spends substantial resources but intends to better exploit available resources. Therefore the Project is focused on a more efficient spending of available funds instead of increasing the state expenditure. Apart from three reform dimensions, namely in the business sector (industrial policies and exports), labour market (active employment measures), and science (the reform of the science sector), through the Public Policy Secretariat the Project will be improving horizontal coordination of the improvement of public policy management in these areas.

Project activities will be implemented by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs with the National Employment Service, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development in coordination with the Innovation Fund, and the Public Policy Secretariat as the main beneficiaries.

The PPS has the role of the central Project coordinator (cross-cutting coordination) and chairs the Interdepartmental Working Body of the Government which was established on 14th January 2016 with a view to providing support to reforms and improving the public policy management in these areas.

Learn more at: http://projects.worldbank.org/P152104?lang=en

Earlier, current and future project developments accessible at:

https://rsjp.gov.rs/EN/projects/пројекат-светске-банке-и-републике-ср/

Further reading