The European Union has allocated €340,000 to support rehabilitation of the ground floor of the administrative building located in the former Battery Factory, which is part of the Srebrenica-Potočari Genocide Memorial Centre.
“The Battery Factory housing the Srebrenica Memorial Centre remains a sharp reminder of a past which cannot be erased. It is not only a place to come pay respect to the victims of the genocide and stand in solidarity with survivors, as we do each year on 11 July. It is also a centre of knowledge for those who want to understand and learn about the context in which crimes against humanity could unfold, so that they may be prevented from reoccurring in the future,” said Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH Ambassador Johann Sattler, emphasising that the Centre serves an important function, as there are still those who deny committed crimes and try to marginalise established facts.
The EU funds will be used for the extension and rehabilitation of the archive space. New archive shelves will be added and the existing rooms and office space refurbished. The total space that will be renovated is approximately 550 m².
Director of the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial Center Emir Suljagić stated: “We are deeply grateful to Ambassador Sattler who took a personal interest and initiative to ensure the implementation of this project. I also have to emphasize the importance of preserving and reconstructing the physical infrastructure of the Memorial Centre. It is by far the most important thing we will do this year and we wouldn’t be able to do it without Ambassador Sattler and the EU Delegation to BiH. This is European values at work in its most meaningful form.”
In addition to the above mentioned rehabilitation, one part of the façade and the flat roof on the administrative building will be renewed to prevent further damage to the premises. Among others, the construction works will include waterproofing, thermal insulation, sheet metal works and masonry works on the areas of façade as well as the rain and sewage draining.
With the renovated premises, the Memorial Centre will continue its important work in assisting the citizens from Srebrenica and the wider region to deal with the legacy of the past in order to build a brighter future for the generations to come.
Previous EU support to the Memorial Centre includes €250.000 for the tiles with the names of Srebrenica victims which are inscribed in the Memorial wall.
Over the years, the EU has provided around €10 million of support to Srebrenica and the surrounding municipalities with particular focus on reintegration of life into the community and building the potential for economic growth and development.
Since 2004, the EU funds have been used to support the work of the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP) in collecting and processing DNA samples from family members of the missing persons, re-association of mortal remains as well as outreach activities in the region and in a number of EU countries with a high number of refugees from the 1992-1995 conflict.
