Bijeljina is among 27 cities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia selected under the “URBACT Pioneers Accelerator” programme.
 
URBACT is a European territorial cooperation programme, active since 2002, which helps cities to develop sustainable solutions to urban challenges through networking, knowledge exchange and capacity building. The programme is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a budget of EUR 79,769,000, the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance with EUR 5,000,000, and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument with EUR 2,000,000 for the period 2021–2027. Through the “URBACT Pioneers Accelerator”, a new user-tailored learning programme, URBACT empowers cities from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) beneficiary countries to address the challenges of sustainable urban development.
 
These pioneering cities are tackling key urban challenges across six core thematic areas: sustainable tourism development, the natural environment in urban areas (environmental protection), social inclusion, employment and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, sustainable mobility, and waste management, with particular emphasis on effective approaches to communication and stakeholder engagement.
 
Each participating city will receive EUR 35,000 from EU funds through URBACT to support participation in the programme, including the implementation of small-scale pilot actions contributing to the city’s sustainable urban development goals.
 
The “Pioneers Accelerator” programme serves as an excellent starting point for cities with little or no prior experience in projects funded by the European Union, as it provides a structured environment with support for developing initiatives that create real impact. Upon completion of the learning process, cities and local government officials will acquire practical knowledge and build capacities for designing and implementing urban development projects in line with global and European standards and sustainable urban development policies.
 
Over 18 months (from April 2025 to September 2026), participating municipal teams will take part in a learning process based on the integrated and participatory URBACT method, which includes international study visits, learning camps and the development of visible small-scale pilot actions.
 
This programme positions the participating cities as regional leaders in sustainable urban policy. By applying integrated approaches and working closely with citizens and stakeholders, these cities demonstrate how even small and medium-sized municipalities can deliver visible systemic change.
 
As the City of Bijeljina embarks on this learning process, it is committed to building new capacities, establishing meaningful partnerships and laying the foundations for long-term, sustainable urban transformation that can serve as an inspiration for similar initiatives across the region.
 
Further information on this and other URBACT initiatives is available on the URBACT website: www.urbact.eu.
 
For additional information, the contact person is Ankica Todorović, City of Bijeljina, Section for Local Economic Development and European Integration, [email protected].