In the period November 23 to 25, 2022, a meeting, organized by the Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives in the Balkans (CESCI Balkans), in Sofia, was held on the occasion of the finalization of the Strategic Plan of the Academy for Leaders of the Council of Europe program for cross-border cooperation in the border region between Serbia and Bulgaria.

The mentioned event was attended by Niall Sheerin, Programme Manager at the Council of Europe, Ervin Eros, director of "CESCI Balkans", Sanda Šimić, representative of the Ministry of European Integration, Vladica Tošić, president of Euroregion "Nišava", Dragan Kostić, president of the Pirot Chamber of Commerce, Dragana Tončić , head of the Pirot district and Milena Dimitrijević, president of the Pirot City Assembly, and on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, Ambassador Željko Jović was present. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Babušnica, Bela Palanka and Dimitrovgrad. On the Bulgarian side, representatives of the Sofia region, Vraca, Dragoman, Slivnica and several other Bulgarian cities participated.

The participants signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, with a special emphasis on strengthening cross-border cooperation as an essential tool for achieving social and economic goals and territorial cohesion. Also, the aforementioned agreement confirmed that the benefits of cross-border cooperation are not limited to the integrated development of border areas, but are essential for achieving peace, prosperity and stability in Europe.

Ambassador Jović, congratulated the participants and pointed out that the development of cross-border ties between neighbouring communities is the key to creating a safe and sustainable future for young people in the region.