Representatives of 13 non-governmental organizations, whose projects were supported within the Public Competition “Dialogue for Europe,” signed contracts today for 2025 with the Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorčević. The competition, announced at the beginning of May this year, is intended for financing projects and programs of non-governmental organizations in the field of Euro-Atlantic and European integration.
The total value of the supported projects amounts to €103,600, and 37 applications were submitted to the competition. Based on the evaluations of independent assessors and the decision of the Commission of the Ministry of European Affairs, the highest quality project proposals were supported.
“European integration is not only the work of institutions – it is a social project. Without the involvement of citizens, local communities, and organizations that work daily in the field, there is no genuine Europeanization of society. The projects we support today contribute precisely to what our society needs most: more knowledge about the EU, more public dialogue, more involvement, especially among young people and vulnerable groups,” said Minister Gorčević.
The supported projects deal with key topics of European integration – from informing citizens about the negotiation process and the benefits of membership, through the inclusion of young people and vulnerable groups, to the promotion of European values, rule of law, and environmental protection.
“I am especially pleased that the supported projects are thematically diverse, regionally distributed, and focused on different target groups – from young people and persons with disabilities, to local authorities and professionals in the judiciary. This shows that the European agenda is present and alive in all parts of society,” said the Minister.
Milutin Vuković, representative of the NGO “Network for European Policies MASTER,” emphasized that by implementing the project “Your MASTER Step Towards the EU,” they will increase the level of citizens’ awareness of the EU accession process: “We will continue to promote EU values and inform, especially young people, about future membership, because they will have the most benefits.”
The NGO Center for Democracy and Human Rights – CEDEM received funds for a project entitled “EUROHUB28 – Montenegro in the EU by 2028,” aimed at improving the judiciary and the prosecution sector. CEDEM representative Nevenka Vuksanović emphasized that the project is focused on implementing training for prosecutors, but also that they want to encourage young male and female lawyers to choose a prosecutorial career. “That is one of the issues our judicial system struggles with, and we want to create a concrete orientation of young people towards the judiciary and prosecution.”
Petar Đukanović from the “NGO Center for Civic Education – CGO” presented the project “EU Compass for Youth,” which will focus on organizing the “School of European Negotiations”: “The expectation is that young people, through the School, will learn more about the negotiation process itself and the topics addressed in the negotiation process, and that we will also encourage their activism.”
The Ministry of European Affairs will continue to strongly support the involvement of citizens in the process of European integration through dialogue, cooperation, and participatory initiatives.
“I believe that these projects in the field will bring concrete results – more knowledge, more participation, and more trust in the European future of Montenegro,” concluded Minister Gorčević.
MINISTRY OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS