On October 5, the Mayor of Sarajevo Centar Municipality, Srđan Mandić, hosted a delegation from the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, led by the Deputy Ambassador of Italy, Lorenzo Donatelli.
It was a return visit. As a reminder, in May of last year, a twinning agreement was signed between the two municipalities, namely Centar and Regio Emilia, and the agreement was signed by Mayor Srđan Mandić and Mayor Luca Vecchi. Then the delegation of the Municipality of Centar visited the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.
The return visit to the Municipality of Centar was also organized as part of the project “Strengthening ties and learning between the twinned municipalities of Centar Sarajevo and Reggio Emilia”, which is implemented by the Institute for Development and European Integration and financed by the Central European Initiative. The visit included a delegation of five members including officials of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, consisting of: Lanfranco de Franco, Chiara Bertozzi, Irene Manzini Ceinar, Marianna Ragazzi and Filippo Leoni.
The visit was organized with the project which focuses on capacity building and the exchange of knowledge and experience in the areas of citizen participation and digitalization of municipal services. The end result would be a democratic political culture on a higher level than today and digitized utility services.
At the reception, Mayor Mandić expressed his satisfaction with the continued cooperation and exchange of knowledge and positive practices of the two sister municipalities.
I am convinced that by twinning with the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, we have taken a very significant step, both for the Municipality of Center and for the wider social community, because this act opens up new opportunities for us, both economically plan, as well as in areas such as education, culture, sports through projects and access funds that are now available to us. A lot of good things have been happening in the last year and a half and this is proof that we did a great thing by signing the agreement. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Italian people for everything they did for Bosnia and Herzegovina both during and after the war, as well as for everything you are still doing today, said Mayor Mandić.
Deputy Ambassador Donatelli once emphasized the strong support of the Italian Embassy to the twinning of the municipalities of Centar Sarajevo and Reggio Emilia.
On behalf of the Embassy of Italy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I want to congratulate you on everything that has been done on this agreement and twinning, and also to thank Chief Mandić for hosting us here. The Embassy of Italy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is at your disposal if activities regarding the arrival of Italian companies in Sarajevo are specified, Deputy Ambassador Donatelli said.
Of course, the meeting with Mayor Mandić is not the only activity in which the Italian delegation participated. Through a series of meetings with officials from the Municipality of Centar, they became familiar with the structure of municipal services, their planning tools and municipal policies.
Specifically, they met with Lejla Dizdarević, assistant to the mayor for culture, sports and youth. The focus of the conversation with Mrs. Dizdarević was on promoting cultural diversity, supporting local artists and athletes, and ensuring interesting programs for young people. Of course, everything in that field achieved in Centar municipality was presented.
The Italian delegation also met with the secretary of the Municipality of Centar, which was also attended by representatives of the municipal finance and urban planning departments. At the meeting, the document of the Municipality of Centar “Participation guidelines” was presented. The document provides a framework for effective engagement of citizens in local government. Guests from Italy presented the software “Hamlet” created from the need for more effective participation of citizens in the processes carried out by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. The meeting yielded fruitful conclusions on how to raise the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes to a higher level.
Regarding citizen participation in decision-making, the Italian friends also met with Haris Sijarić and Selma Piljević, municipal officials who presented a model of citizen participation through local communities. The conversation was focused on initiatives initiated by the community, on the joint solution of the problems of citizens and the municipal administration, and on the role of local organizations in empowering citizens to actively contribute to the development of their local communities.
Also, the guests from Italy had very inspiring meetings with management people in the Center for Sports and Recreation and in the Center for Culture and Youth, where they were presented with the activities of these centers.
During their stay, the guests also visited the Sarajevo Regional Development Agency, where they were presented with ongoing projects in the Centar Municipality, concerning regional development, economic growth and urban revitalization.
Representatives of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia also participated in a workshop with representatives of Centar Municipality. The aim of the workshop was to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation and jointly solve problems shared by these two municipalities.
Not the entire visit was spent in an atmosphere of work and meetings. There was also time for a tour of the city. It was about a visit to the unmissable Baščaršia in order to see, get to know better and thus appreciate more the cultural richness and historical depth and complexity of Sarajevo. They also learned about the weight of Sarajevo’s history, as well as the creativity and resourcefulness of the people of Sarajevo during the siege, through a visit to the Tunnel of Salvation.
There are many links between Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one of the most emotional is the story of Gabriel Moreno Locatelli, an Italian peacemaker who, as a fighter for peace, was killed by a sniper shot on the Vrbanja bridge in Sarajevo in 1993. By concidence, the visit of the delegation from Reggio Emilia to be organized on the 30th anniversary of his death, and it was an opportunity for both hosts and guests to go to the commemoration of his death.
The ties between Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a long history, and mutual relations are mutually beneficial and very dynamic. There is no doubt that they greatly influence inter-municipal relations, at least when it comes to Reggio Emilia and Centar municipality. Also, these inter-municipal relations are a significant addition and impulse to the overall relations between the two countries and to the rapprochement of their citizens.
