Cultural cross-border cooperation includes all fields of cross-border cooperation and gives base for main connections and interactions. Without strengthening cultural cross-border cooperation, it is impossible to build significant relations between neighbors. Culture, as a foundation, an activator and a purpose of development in cross-border regions, represents a cardinal and conditional factor of cross-border cooperation. Today's situation in the Balkans reveals ethnic diversity of this region and territorial dispersion of ethnic groups. This implies at the same time great cultural diversity as well as dispersal of various national cultures over the Balkan's states. During the 20th century Serbia and Bulgaria have very complex political and intrastate relations. But in the last 10 years there have been significant improvements in the cross-border cooperation between Serbia and Bulgaria. The results of these improvements are established Euro-regions and implemented cross-border projects between these two countries. Existing Euro-regions between Serbia and Bulgaria created links between various local authorities and made excellent basis for cross-border initiatives and joint projects to promote common interests across the border and cooperation for the common good of the border areas populations. The well managed cultural cross-border cooperation between these two countries will provide a clear view of common features and raise common identity for the region, contribute to tolerance and understanding between people in this area and enable them to overcome the peripheral status of the border region in their countries and improve the living conditions of the population

Cities in Serbia are passing through the initial phase of economic, social and physical renewal. At the same time the cities are confronted with major wave of investing by foreign and domestic investors. The majority of he investments are being directed to greenfield locations resulting with rapid decrease of agricultural land. With land problems in perspective as well as with new economic, demographic and social situation in Serbia, combined with the enormous problem of regional disbalance, the EU and USA experiences point out the urgent need of recycling building land and activating neglected or depleted locations within urban area. The idea of mobilizing brownfields i.e. unused industrial, military or communal structures and locations, should help in solving many economic, social and environmental problems in Serbian cities and towns. The article cites European experiences with brownfields and offers some measures, instruments and recommendations relating to city land recycling and activating brownfields in Serbia

The soil is becoming one of the crucial problems for the Nature and its proper functioning due to many reasons of its misusing or abusing. The market forces in agriculture are rapidly deteriorating the soil wild biodiversity and its capacity. The importance of the soil and its wild biodiversity, related to the water system and other ecological functions are presented in short outlines. Understanding the soil quality means assessing and managing soil that it functions optimally now and is not degradated for the future use. Evaluation of the soil quality in a different manner serves for agriculture embitterment and for keeping water and habitat organisms quality. Further, the instrument for soil protection policies implementation are given such as regional development planning, incentives for regional integration, social impacts oriented actions, education etc. The further soil decay will generally jeopardize the whole idea of sustainable development. Therefore it asks for more efficient understanding from decision makers, producers, but from planners as well

Abstract.The new idea of functional regions has been interpreted in alignment with the idea of functional urban areas in the Serbian planning discourse and practice. The new Spatial Plan of Serbia introduced the idea in compliance with the Law on Regional Development and statistical nomenclature of regions NUTS2 and districts NUTS3 in Serbia. The functional region is understood and presented as a cluster of municipalities organized flexibly around some important project(s) with a proper (sub) regional institution in charge of spurring and realizing the same. The problem is with clustering municipalities i.e. understanding the role and meaning of it for their joint interest, with some political reasons and lack of awareness as the main reasons for that. On the other hand the list of strategic priorities has been prepared for all functional regions. The list contains projects for economic, social and ecological development. Eco-services are among the high priority issues but asking for intensive horizontal coordination and clustering a group of interested municipalities. Regional landfills, waste water purification, protected nature (high mountains) use, small rivers cleaning, are among such projects with some hot spots eliminating as paramount ones. Activating all stakeholders in the implementation phase is permanent duty of planners and administration, with possible economic measures to be pursued by the state. Eco-services are under intensive surveillance of the state administration in the phase of adapting its legislative to EU membership with an expected transfer of duties and jurisdiction to local communities (municipalities and cities). Vertical coordination with regions and the state is therefore a must for municipalities in this phase of development of Serbia. The illustrations will be presented for better understanding the initial position of functional regions in Serbia and the position of eco-services in the future of local communities clustering.

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