СУБОТИЦАSZABADKA SUBOTICA

EUROPEAN INTERCULTURAL CITIES PROGRAMME

2008

FACTS• Subotica - the second largest but the

most beautiful city in Vojvodina –

north of Serbia

•Known also as the Gateway of Serbia

to EU

•Traditionally high level of intercultural

understanding and tolerance,

developed culture of political dialogue

•Hungarians 38,50%

•Serbs 24,14%

•Croats 11,24%

•Bunjevac 10,95%

•Other:

•Yugoslavs 5,76%

•Montenegrins

•1,25 %

•Roma 1,17%

•Albanians

•Ruthenians

FACTS

• Most of the ethnic communities

have a centuries’ long history of living

together

•but some are newcomers: refugees and displaced persons from war affected areas

•Challenges of learning the skill of urban cultural interaction

•Religious groups

•Roman Catholics 63 %

•Orthodox: 26%

•Protestants: 1,90

•Others

FACTS• During 90-ties: years of ethnic

fragmentations

•Politically instigated increased ethnic

distance

•Lack of opportunities for intercultural

communication

• After 2002: Process of institutionally

supported confidence building at local level

•In 2007: out of 674 marriages – 339 ethnically mixed

Priorities

Local economic development strategy:

• … Seeking development sources: Ethnic diversity and institutions supporting intercultural communication

• … Advantages of bilingual + English/German speaking professionals

• … cross-border region connecting Serbia, Hungary, Croatia seen as an asset, rather than a weakness

GOALS

Bringing the diverse ethnic

groups closer through:

1) improved local governance

2) intercultural mediation

3) promoting cultural identities

GOALS

Bring the diverse ethnic

communities closer through:

4) events celebrating cultural

heritage

5) Intercultural education

6) Media reporting

CULTURE

Institutions/Events:

• City Museum, Art Gallery

• Religious heritage

• Inter-ethno Festival

• Duzijanca – harvest days

INTERCULTURAL MEDIATION

Roma Education Centre:Mediation programme in neighbourhood community centres,For improving the situation of Roma children in elementary schools

MEDIA REPORTING

Awareness raising component

• Promoting the ICC Programme and activities in

Subotica and the region of Vojvodina

• Training component for the journalists: visit to ICC

cities, reporting on EU good local practice (YU eco tv)

• Sensibilisation of the local media for intercultural

governance related issues

• Project approved – with the support of Vojvodina Fund

for non-profit sector

ICC exchange of good local practice

• Cities selected and now participating in the pilot programme:

• Berlin Neukölln (Germany)

• Craiova (Romania)

• Izhevsk (Russian Federation)

• Lublin (Poland)

• Lyon (France)

• Melitopol (Ukraine)

• Neuchâtel (Switzerland)

• Oslo (Norway)

• Patras (Greece)

• Reggio Emilia (Italy)

• Subotica (Serbia)

• Greenwich (UK)

LDA Projects promoting intercultural governance

• Local Partnerships for tolerance

• European and our affairs

• Regional partnerships for intercultural

exchange

LDA in co-operation the host city of SUBOTICA

THANK YOU FOR YOUR THANK YOU FOR YOUR

ATTENTIONATTENTION

Andrea Losonc, Mayor’s

Office

Stanka Parac , Local

Democracy Agency