At the National Training Center for Protection and Rescue in Podgorica, a handover of six specialized fire trucks was held, intended to strengthen the operational capacities of local protection and rescue services.
The vehicles were provided under the project “Strengthening Climate Change Resilience in the Southern Adriatic” – RESILIENCE, funded by the European Union through the Interreg IPA South Adriatic Program 2021–2027, and were allocated to the municipalities of Bar, Danilovgrad, Ulcinj, and the Capital Cetinje, while two vehicles were temporarily assigned to the Capital City of Podgorica as an administrative and technical user until the formal establishment of protection services in the municipalities of Zeta and Tuzi.
The total value of the vehicles amounts to 399,154.80 EUR, and all vehicles are equipped with specialized high-pressure firefighting modules, water tanks, signaling, and equipment for intervention in hard-to-reach terrains.
The procurement of specialized vehicles represents one of the key results of the project and contributes to strengthening the preparedness of municipalities to respond to open-space fires, natural disasters, and other emergencies. The new vehicles will enable faster intervention, greater accessibility in difficult terrains, and more efficient operations of local protection and rescue units.
At the beginning of the event, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dragana Kažanegra Stanišić, greeted the attendees and emphasized: “Investing in the equipment and capacities of the services is not just a financial investment. It is an investment in people’s lives, in the safety of our communities, and in the state’s ability to respond to challenges. The Government and the Ministry of Internal Affairs remain fully committed to further strengthening the protection and rescue system.”
The General Director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, Miodrag Bešović, stated that this project is not an isolated activity, but part of a broader vision and strategy for developing the protection and rescue system, and announced another project that has begun implementation, under which fire trucks will be procured for the municipalities included in the project.
Radomir Šćepanović, Head of the Directorate for Operational Affairs, and Slađana Pešić, National Program Coordinator at the Ministry for European Affairs, emphasized the importance of cross-border cooperation and the European Union’s contribution to modernizing response capacities.
The vehicles were received on behalf of the municipalities by Aleksandar Grgurović, President of the Municipality of Danilovgrad; Genci Nimanbegu, President of the Municipality of Ulcinj; Ana Novović, Deputy Mayor of the Capital Cetinje; Aco Vulević, Commander of the Protection Service Bar; and Nikola Bojanović, Commander of the Protection and Rescue Service of the Capital City Podgorica.
The RESILIENCE project is a strategic initiative aimed at improving the capacities of protection and rescue services in the cross-border area of Albania, Montenegro, and Italy, and includes modernization of equipment, joint operational protocols, specialized training, and development of regional procedures for emergency response. In Montenegro, the project is implemented by the Directorate for Protection and Rescue of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with a total project budget for Montenegro of 761,796 EUR, of which the European Union finances 85% of the budget.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue to work on strengthening the capacities of all local government units through training, professional development, and further procurement of equipment.
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS