The proces of development of the Territorial Strategy for Novi Sad and Partner Municipalities

The City of Novi Sad and the municipalities of Bački Petrovac, Bačka Palanka, Bač, Odžaci, and Apatin have initiated the process of developing a territorial strategy for their urban area, following a successful application to the public call for territorial strategy development under the EU INTEGRA program. This region constitutes a spatially and functionally integrated entity with immense development potential. Linked by key Pan-European corridors (Corridor VII – the Danube River and Corridor Xb), citie and municipalities share common socio-economic and environmental goals.

The goal of the Territorial Strategy

The main goal is to define common directions of development, propose concrete measures and facilitate the realization of joint inter-municipal projects. Based on this strategic document, the partner municipalities will jointly apply for donor funds in areas such as:

• Infrastructure and connectivity
• Econ
• Improvement of social services
• Environmental protection

The process organization

After the Assembly of the City of Novi Sad in March 2026, and then the assemblies of all partner municipalities, adopted the Decision on Joining the Development of the Strategy, the governing bodies were formed:

• Council for the development of the urban area - a body that coordinates, supervises the process and makes decisions on projects that will be applied for EU funds.
• Working group – the operational team responsible for the implementation of all stages of document creation.

The signed Cooperation Agreement between the City, the municipalities and the Regional Development Agency "Bačka", which provides professional and administrative-technical support in this process, also contributes to the successful realization.

Support in the development of the Strategy

The project is implemented within the EU INTEGRA program, which is implemented by the Ministry of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia, the Standing Conference of Cities and Municipalities (SKGO) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), with a signed Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Novi Sad as a leading partner.

Note: The creation of the Territorial Strategy is supported by the European Union in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia through the EU INTEGRA program. The content of this page is the sole responsibility of the City of Novi Sad and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.