Podgorica, 27 November 2024 — The final conference for the successfully completed five-year project Support to Implementation and Monitoring of Water Management in Montenegro was held in Podgorica showcasing the significant progress made in the areas of water resource management, environmental protection, and alignment with EU legal regulations. The project, supported and funded by the European Union, involved the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, the Ministry of Health and the Capital Project Administration.
The conference included participation from numerous stakeholders in the field of water management and monitoring, providing a platform to highlight the project’s key achievements. Attendees were particularly interested in the successful alignment with various EU water directives and the strengthening of national institutions’ capacities for monitoring water quality and quantity. A special segment of the event was dedicated to presenting the model of a specialized multipurpose research vessel for the marine environment, developed as part of the project.
Project Objectives and Achievements
The overarching goal of the project was to assist the Montenegrin administration in effectively managing the implementation and monitoring of water management and environmental policy, ensuring compliance with EU environmental standards. Specific objectives included:
- Transposition and implementation of EU directives in the water management sector;
- Strengthening institutional and administrative capacities of relevant institutions;
- Improving the monitoring of water quality and quantity.
The project significantly contributed to implementation of several key EU directives related to water management, including the Nitrates Directive, Floods Directive, Bathing Water Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Water Framework Directive, and Drinking Water Directive. Additionally, it resulted in enhancing the monitoring capacities of national institutions tasked with water management.
As Montenegro moves forward, the lessons learned from this project will serve to enhance water management practices and promote sustainable development initiatives throughout the country.