The representatives of the Competence Centre Ltd for research and development and Vukovar-Srijem County Development Agency held the technical meeting with the representatives of Posavina County on 7th March 2024. The aim of the meeting was to involve that region in the implementation of the European project DaWetRest (https://dawetrest.eu/) funded by the European Commission under the research and innovation programme HORIZON EUROPE.
The meeting was opened by the Minister of Transport, Communications, and Environmental Protection of Posavina County, Pero Radić, who highlighted needs and challenges of Posavina County related to environmental issues. CEKOM’s Director, Dr. Ivan Ambroš presented the mission and vision of CEKOM and possibilities of cooperation. The Head of Department for Research and Development and International Affairs of Vukovar-Srijem County Development Agency, Vedrana Džoić presented the agency's activities and positive experiences in earlier cooperation with the institutions of Posavina County. Dr. Zlatko Nedić, Senior Projects Manager at the Competence Centre presented the DaWetRest call for associated regions and funding opportunities for up to 75.000 euros per each project that passes evaluation. Posavina County is one of the sibling locations of the DaWetRest project, where ecological challenges and critical points for ecosystem restoration and revitalisation have to be defined in near future. Dr. Tomislav Lukić, the representative of the International Academy for Sustainable Development emphasized in his presentation the importance of restoring valuable wetland ecosystems of Tišina and Starača, which could lead to the declaration of protected areas in the Posavina region. Mario Brkić, the representative of the Office for Development and European Integration also attended the meeting.
The joint conclusion was to strengthen cooperation in the field of ecosystem protection and restoration, and that the next steps would be to apply to the DaWetRest call for associated regions.
