One fifth of Serbia's territory is populated by one third of its citizens, Assistant Director of the National Agency for Regional Development Ana Zegarac said Tuesday, adding that the population is declining by 25,000 each year.

She spoke at a Belgrade Chamber of Commerce roundtable on regionalization in Serbia and the EU, where she stated that the data was not a problem, but simply a fact.

There is a misconception that the north of the country is more developed than the south, Zegarac claims, adding that balanced development is an opportunity for everyone to achieve a better living standard, employment and more modern infrastructure.

The mapping of Serbia's regions will be complete by mid-2011. A meeting on regional development and the implementation of a programme supporting the development are also planned for this year.

Representative of the Office for EU Integration Branko Budimir said the EU will use EUR 348 billion to fund its regional policy.

The EU goals are to boost development in the regions that are falling behind the average and improve regional competitiveness, employment and cooperation, he explained.