Zrenjanin | 26 May 2026

Round Tables on the Territorial Strategy for the Urban Area of the City of Zrenjanin and the Municipalities of the Central Banat District

As part of the EU INTEGRA programme, two-day thematic round tables on the territorial strategy for the urban area of the City of Zrenjanin and the municipalities of Žitište, Sečanj, Nova Crnja, and Novi Bečej began today in Zrenjanin. Through the EU INTEGRA programme, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry for European Integration, the European Union provides support for the implementation of an integrated territorial approach to development.

The City of Zrenjanin and the municipalities of the Central Banat District, together with the Regional Centre for Socio-Economic Development – Banat as a partner organization, received support under the part of the EU INTEGRA programme implemented by UNOPS for the preparation of a territorial strategy, an important document for the future sustainable development of this territory.

The thematic round tables, as an important part of the strategy development process, bring together representatives of local governments, the public, private, and civil sectors in order to review and supplement the results of the contextual and preliminary SWOT analysis.

On behalf of the City of Zrenjanin, Deputy Mayor’s Assistant Stojanka Cica Vučković welcomed the participants, emphasizing that the thematic round tables on the territorial strategy, which covers Zrenjanin and the municipalities of Žitište, Sečanj, Nova Crnja, and Novi Bečej, represent an important step in the process of joint planning and development of the entire territory.

“It is especially important that this process brings together various stakeholders from local governments, the professional community, the business sector, and civil society, with the common goal of defining a sustainable and realistic development direction that will contribute to a better quality of life for our citizens. The City of Zrenjanin recognizes the importance of regional connectivity and joint development planning with the municipalities of Central Banat,” said the Assistant to the Mayor of Zrenjanin.

Viktor Veljović, Capacity Development Manager within the EU INTEGRA programme implemented by UNOPS, emphasized that integrated territorial development enables local governments to jointly plan and develop projects that respond to the concrete needs of citizens and the potential of the territory. He reminded participants that the EU INTEGRA programme builds on the results of the EU PRO Plus programme, through which the model of integrated sustainable territorial development has already been introduced in Serbia, and that EU INTEGRA continues its implementation through the development of territorial strategies for ten additional territories across the country.