The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro has provided its member municipalities with expert support to help them be fully prepared to absorb all available grant funds in the fields of environmental protection, tourism, and other areas where specialized professional assistance is needed. An external expert engaged by the Union will assist municipalities in their strategic planning and implementation. Environmental protection is a particularly demanding and costly chapter that has already been opened, but it remains highly challenging, especially when it comes to complex infrastructure projects. Timely preparation of so-called “mature projects” is also important in light of the upcoming and significantly larger structural funds that will be made available to Montenegro upon its accession to the European Union. Human resources and professional expertise are increasingly recognized as the most valuable assets, yet they remain in chronic shortage, making continuous investment in them essential.
Namely, the first and fundamental requirement for accessing grant funds from European funds is that a project is included and thoroughly described in the municipality’s strategic plan. During the stages of project design and implementation, municipalities and their public services will receive expert support in developing ideas, preparing project briefs, tender documentation, and even project applications. The expert will also propose projects that can be implemented through inter-municipal cooperation, enabling municipalities to achieve their development goals in a more rational and cost-effective manner.
On Wednesday, 1 October 2025, in Podgorica, representatives of municipalities were presented with possible and already implemented solutions to various challenges of this kind in Serbia, Slovenia, and other countries. These included practices in waste management, protection of air, soil, and water, spa and rural tourism, as well as their effects, including various digital solutions and tools. The legislative framework that enables more efficient planning and implementation of projects at the local level was also discussed.
The expert invited participants to submit specific questions and challenges where they require support, so that they can jointly begin their preparation and implementation.
The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro continuously contributes to the preparation and strengthening of municipalities across various fields by financing the development of a feasibility study for health tourism, providing ongoing training and mentoring for municipal employees, facilitating their networking for the exchange of knowledge and experience, financing technical documentation for less developed municipalities, promoting the exchange of good practices, and applying for grant funding for projects of common interest—all with the aim of achieving their development goals and preventing further depopulation.
