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Serbia launches construction of 235 apartments for RHP beneficiaries in Belgrade

9 September 2016

Start of construction of the building for refugees  in Ovča Belgrade – First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Ivica Dacic, together with the other Regional Housing Programme (RHP) stakeholders, laid today the foundations for the construction site in Ovca, near Belgrade, to mark the start of construction of 235 apartments.  

This project is currently the RHP’s largest single construction project that is being implemented in the Partner Countries and will provide housing for refugee families from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia with permanent residence in Belgrade.

The construction works should be finalised by October 2017, with a total cost of € 9.8 million of which € 5.4 million is covered by the RHP Fund. In addition to Ovca, the project includes the provision of 80 pre-fabricated houses and 350 building material packages as well as the purchase of 50 village houses in Belgrade. All in all, five projects worth around € 94 million are currently being implemented in Serbia, with the objective to provide over 4 700 housing solutions to most vulnerable refugees.

RHP is a joint initiative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia (the Partner Countries) and an outstanding example of successful regional cooperation. It is supported by the international community, including the European Union, the United States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and managed by the CEB.

Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 41 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank's target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating (Aa1 with Moody's, outlook stable, AA+ with Standard & Poor's, outlook stable and AA+ with Fitch Ratings, outlook stable). It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.

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