The City of Smederevo is among 27 cities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia selected to be part of the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator programme.
URBACT is a European Territorial Cooperation programme, active since 2002, which helps cities develop sustainable solutions to urban challenges through networking, knowledge exchange and capacity building. The programme is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a budget of EUR 79,769,000, by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance with a budget of EUR 5,000,000 and by the Instrument for Development and International Cooperation with a budget of EUR 2,000,000 for the period 2021–2027. Through the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator, a new tailor-made learning programme, URBACT empowers cities from countries benefiting from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) to tackle sustainable urban development.
These pioneering cities are addressing important urban challenges through six key themes: sustainable tourism development, urban nature (environmental protection), social inclusion, support for employment and small and medium-sized enterprises, sustainable mobility and waste management, with particular emphasis on effective approaches to communication and stakeholder engagement.
Smederevo’s participation in this programme is a significant opportunity to exchange experience, strengthen local capacity and develop practical solutions that contribute to a better quality of life for citizens and the sustainable development of the local community.
Full list of the 27 pioneer cities
Thematic clusters and pioneer cities
Mobility
- Municipality of Aranđelovac, Serbia
- Public Enterprise PERMUPHS Subotica, Serbia
- City of Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia
- City of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Municipality of Tivat, Montenegro
- Municipality of Himara, Albania Waste management
- Municipality of Štip, North Macedonia
- Municipality of Herceg Novi, Montenegro
- Municipality of Bački Petrovac, Serbia
- City of Novi Pazar, Serbia
- Municipality of Kamza, Albania
- City of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Development Agency TREDEA Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina Urban nature
- City of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- City of Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- City of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- City of Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Municipality of Nikšić, Montenegro
- Municipality of Vinica, North Macedonia
- City of Zrenjanin, Serbia
- City of Kragujevac, Serbia
- City of Niš, Serbia Sustainable tourism
- Municipality of Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- City of Široki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Municipality of Lezha, Albania
- City of Smederevo, Serbia
- Municipality of Senta, Serbia
Each participating city will receive EUR 35,000, funded by the EU through URBACT, to support its participation in the programme, including the implementation of small-scale pilot actions that contribute to its sustainable urban development goals.
The Pioneers Accelerator programme serves as an excellent starting point for cities with little or no previous experience of EU-funded projects, offering a structured and supportive environment for developing impactful initiatives. On completing the learning process, cities and the public officials working in city and municipal public administrations will have gained practical knowledge and developed the capacity to design and implement urban development projects in line with global and EU standards and sustainable urban development policy frameworks.
Over 18 months (April 2025 – September 2026), the municipal teams taking part in the programme will engage in a learning process based on URBACT’s integrated and participatory method, which includes international study visits, learning camps and the development of visible small-scale pilot actions.
The programme positions the participating cities and municipalities as regional leaders in sustainable urban policy. By applying integrated approaches and working closely with citizens and stakeholders, they show how even small and medium-sized municipalities can bring about visible, systemic change.
As Smederevo sets out on this learning journey, the city is committed to building new capacity, forging meaningful partnerships and laying the foundations for a long-term, sustainable urban transformation that can inspire similar efforts across the region.
More information about this and other URBACT initiatives is available on the URBACT website: www.urbact.eu
For more information, please contact:
Filip Dimić filip.dimic@smederevo.ls.gov.rs
0648449116
