The IPA III component refers to regional development and includes provision of support in the areas of environmental protection, sustainable development, development of transport and small and medium-sized enterprises and competitiveness. By acquiring the status of a candidate for EU membership in December 2010, Montenegro qualified for the use of the funds of the III component of IPA. Unlike projects in the area of component I, which are prepared in the form of individual project forms, the basis for the use of funds of component III is the Operational Program, which is done on a two-year level and comprehensively shows the purpose of spending IPA funds through certain priorities, measures and operations.
The total value of the Operational Program amounts to 26,169,624.00 euros and is divided into 85% IPA funds, 15% national co-financing, so that IPA funds amount to 22,235,679.00 euros, and national co-financing to 3,923,947.00 euros. The main goal of this Operational Program is to improve the living standard and the state of the environment in Montenegro, in accordance with national policies and strategies, as well as EU policies and standards.
Planned funds within component III were used to implement projects within the following priority axes:
Priority axis I: Improve environmental management systems.
Priority axis II: Improve the traffic system, encouraging environmentally friendly types of traffic with a special emphasis on improving the railway infrastructure in order to provide better services.
Priority axis III: Technical assistance to support the implementation of the OPRR.
Accreditation for the decentralized management of IPA funds by the European Commission for the III component of IPA was granted on April 25, 2014.
More information about the program is available on this website.