Donor: EU – CARDS
Budget: €1,000,000

Project Description:

Over the years, Montenegro’s rich natural environment, already under pressure from decades of urban and industrial pollution, became increasingly degraded. Due to conflicts and instability in the region, organization and structure of Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning (MEPPP – responsible for protection and improvement of environment) became overloaded and has shown lack of an accurate identification and interpretation of key strategies to be followed. The Ministry has shown lack of effective mechanisms for management, inadequate technology, lack of information and cooperation, and poor documentation systems.

The project aims to help Montenegro tackle some of these deficiencies, in particular by reinforcing Government’s capacity to take appropriate actions to solve some of the mentioned weaknesses.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

  • Strengthen and improve the institutional capacity of Montenegro’s environmental management administration to operate effectively within an improved institutional framework;
  • Establish an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
  • Provide closer approximation of Montenegrin environmental framework legislation to the Acquis;
  • Improve institutional capacity within MEPPP;
  • Provide municipal service utilities and technical assistance to the MEPPP in order to develop rationalised strategic investment plans; and
  • Assist the Government to establish Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in order to improve environmental infrastructure.