8.57 million euros of EU support for cross-border cooperation between Montenegro and Kosovo

Montenegro and Kosovo are successfully cooperating thanks to the IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program, within which a total of 23 projects worth 8.57 million euros were supported in the program period 2014-2020 through three calls, is the message from the meetings of the Joint Monitoring Committee and Operational structures of the IPA Program of cross-border cooperation Montenegro – Kosovo 2014-2020, which were held today in Pristina. The meetings were attended by the delegation of Montenegro led by acting Director General of the Directorate for European Funds, Bojan Vujović.

“Through successful partnerships, Montenegrin and Kosovo institutions and organizations with the support of the EU implement projects in the fields of employment, agriculture, environmental protection and tourism. Within the framework of the First Call, 7 projects with a total value of 2.3 million euros were implemented. In the second call, 6 projects worth 2.4 million euros were contracted, three of which have already been completed, while in the third call 10 projects were supported with a total budget of 3.87 million euros,” Vujović said.

As he stated, the Ministry of European Affairs is successfully cooperating with colleagues from Kosovo within the framework of the IPA II financial perspective, adding that he expects continued successful cooperation with the local authorities during the IPA III financial cycle, which covers the period from 2021 to 2027.

“Implementation of this program would not be possible without the exceptional cooperation of the Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro, the Ministry of Local Self-Government Administration of the Republic of Kosovo and the Joint Technical Secretariat in Podgorica with the local antenna in Pristina,” stressed Vujović.

At today’s meeting of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) and the Operational Structure, important documents for the functioning of the Program were adopted, including the Annual Report on the Implementation of Activities for 2022, the Annual Work Plan of the Joint Technical Secretariat for 2023, as well as the Communication and Visibility Plan for the current year.