BRUSSELS -- The European Commission and Serbia have signed an agreement to provide the EU candidate country with 27.4 million euros in assistance for its education system.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Brussels on September 27, the EU's enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn, said that the money will help the Serbian education system to adapt to labor market needs.
“It is an investment for the future guaranteeing the best interest rates, more than in the financial sector, and it is an investment in our joint future because Serbia belongs to the European family,” Hahn said.
The deal is to allow 40,000 Serbian teachers to take modern training programs and to provide special training for 4,000 teachers in minority languages.
The money will also be used to publish textbooks for minorities and provide scholarships to 700 Roma children.
Serbia is, alongside Montenegro, the Western Balkan country closest to joining the EU. Belgrade opened EU accession negotiations with Brussels in 2014.
