In 2016, the European Union and Serbia celebrate the 15th anniversary of development aid under the slogan 15 Years of Partnership. The long-standing financial assistance has been spent on programmes and projects which fostered development and concrete reforms, thus contributing to the well-being of citizens in many areas. During the visit of Mr Davenport citizens of Niš and South East Serbia had an opportunity to learn more about the EU, its institutions and EU-Serbia relations.
The European Union is by far the biggest donor of non-refundable assistance to Serbia. Also, Serbia is the largest recipient of EU donations in the Western Balkans and one of the largest in the world. Currently, there are some 600 EU projects being implemented in close cooperation with Serbian authorities, businesses and civil society organisations. 2014 introduced a novelty in fund management, putting Serbia, and not the Delegation of the European Union, largely in charge of the management of funds: in March 2014, Serbian administration was accredited by the European Commission to manage the EU projects approved annually in order to prepare Serbia for membership and management of future EU funds. The EU Delegation to Serbia oversees the implementation of these projects.
