02.07.2009.

Presentation of the effects of NATO Trust Fund

The presentation of the effects of the PfP Trust Fund for the assistance to SAF military surplus issue was held today in the House of Guards. The presentation was attended by Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac, State Secretaries Igor Jovicic and Zoran Jeftic, Deputy Chief of SAF GS LTG Mladen Cirkovic, and the representatives of diplomatic and military diplomatic corps and IOM representatives as the main agent in the said project.

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said, on this occasion, that besides the significance of the Project in the sense of regional stabilization and the support to reforms, its social and economic dimension should also not be forgotten in the sense of reintegration of persons who are no longer in service.

„The fact that in the period 2006-2009 within the Project some 6 million EUR of donor help has already been used, where 72 % invested as direct assistance to the programme beneficiaries bespeaks of the programme’s importance.. The total number of the beneficiaries of PRISMA project who got employment after undergoing this programme was 63%.

The minister commented that the army’s good repute is being confirmed in the public on a daily basis, yet this could also be attributed to the new management’s efforts to reach high standards. The issue of reintegrating those no longer in service is also a big problem, and is an important part of the reform process and the planned professionalization of the Armed Forces of Serbia.

„Thanks to the PfP Trust Fund, a large number of our beneficiaries has been successfully reintegrated into the civil life without the engagement of state organs tasked with this issue.

The minister commented that the army’s good repute is being confirmed in the public on a daily basis, yet this could also be attributed to the new management’s efforts to reach high standards. The issue of reintegrating those no longer in service is also a big problem, and is an important part of the reform process and the planned professionalization of the Armed Forces of Serbia.

„Thanks to the PfP Trust Fund, a large number of our beneficiaries has been successfully reintegrated into the civil life without the engagement of state organs tasked with this issue.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway Hakon Blakenborg stressed that the Resettlement program for Military Personnel Surplus was established as NATO Trust Fund and PFP joint project of assistance to the defense system of Serbia. Pointing out that the said help had no purpose or effect on the course and dynamics of reforms, he stated it was rather based on the needs and the interest of the defense system. Blakenborg also highlighted that a number of donor countries had already had experience with similar transition processes. This generated a certain awareness of the need to transform one, so called, defense system originated during Cold War, into an effective defense system able to respond to numerous challenges, security risks, and threats. The Ambassador added that such defense system could burden the national budget extensively, which is why it would be better if these funds were to be directed to more urgent needs.

IOM Mission Deputy Head and NATO Trust Fund Project Manager Ginalucca Rocco gave a presentation explaining in detail all aspects of the four years’ work. In his words, the project implemented in Serbia is very good and applicable in other states as well. For every euro spent in the program for retraining redundant military personnel, EUR 1.84 flow into the budget. The program attendees commended this project, which completes PRISMA project.
The project is funded by 16 donor countries including Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Luxemburg, Slovakia, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary all led by Norway.

To date some 4.650 former SAF officers, NCOs and civilians underwent this program and used the services of individual counseling in IOM’s regional offices in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad and Kraljevo. 2.977 were approved a grant to start up or to expand their businesses or in the forms of salary subsidies with the known employer. 2.247 new micro and macro companies were established, and 382 former members of defense system got new jobs in the existing Serbian companies. Even contractual soldiers have recently been granted the right to use such financial assistance programs.