The Ministry of European Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, held an initial meeting with representatives of Montenegrin institutions and organizations participating in 43 projects supported under the Call for Standard Projects of the Interreg IPA South Adriatic cooperation program.
Speakers at the meeting included Miloš Marković, Director General of the Directorate for European Territorial Cooperation at the Ministry of European Affairs, Kana Tomašević, Head of the First Level Control Directorate at the Ministry of Finance, Milena Adžić, Coordinator of the Interreg IPA South Adriatic program in Montenegro, and Slađana Pešić, National Contact Point for the Interreg IPA South Adriatic program.
The event presented the main characteristics of this program, information important for implementation and reporting, as well as tools for monitoring the implementation of projects. Afterwards, representatives of project beneficiaries presented the projects and activities that will be carried out in the coming period in cooperation with partners from Italy and Albania.
Congratulating the beneficiaries on the approved projects, Miloš Marković emphasized that Montenegrin institutions and organizations are demonstrating increasing capacities for preparing and implementing projects financed from European Union funds.
“Through cooperation with countries from the region and wider Europe, these projects enable us to jointly find sustainable solutions to the economic, social, and environmental challenges we face,” Marković stressed.
A total of 49 Montenegrin institutions and organizations are participating in the implementation of 43 standard projects of the Interreg IPA South Adriatic program, for whose activities more than €11 million of EU grant funds have been allocated. Among the 220 supported partners in Italy, Albania, and Montenegro are state, regional, and local authorities, universities, research centers, educational institutions, chambers of commerce, and civil society organizations. The projects cover four strategic areas: competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and environment, mobility and transport, and social inclusion.
Interreg IPA South Adriatic 2021–2027 is a cross-border cooperation program co-financed by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III), with a total budget of over €81 million. The program is implemented in the Italian regions of Puglia and Molise, as well as throughout the territory of Albania and Montenegro. The objective of the Program is a smarter, greener, more connected, and more inclusive South Adriatic, with better governance, as well as strengthening regional cooperation.