Info days dedicated to the Second Call for submission of project proposals under the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021–2027 were held on 2 and 3 April 2025 in Podgorica and Budva.
With the participation of over 150 representatives of institutions and organizations from the programme area, the events presented the application rules and steps in preparing project proposals. These were discussed by representatives of the Managing Authority – the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia – and the Joint Secretariat of the Programme.
Opening the event, Miloš Marković, Director General of the Directorate for European Territorial Cooperation at the Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro, emphasized that nearly 30 million euros in EU grant is available for joint projects by partners from the three countries.
“The Call covers the Programme’s five specific objectives. We look forward to projects in the areas of research and innovation, energy efficiency and emissions reduction, circular economy, health services, as well as sustainable tourism and culture,” said Marković.
According to him, the joint programme with the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is of great importance for Montenegro, which is reflected in the consistently high level of interest from potential beneficiaries.
“The best confirmation of the Programme’s success is the fact that the funds for projects in the current programming period have doubled compared to the previous one – to around 107 million euros in EU funding,” added Marković.
Marina Škunca of Croatia’s Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds praised the exceptionally high attendance of potential beneficiaries at both info days.
“I would like to remind you that we contracted 33 projects under the First Call, with a total value of over 57 million euros. Recently, we supported 24 joint projects of enterprises from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro with more than 4 million euros in EU funds through the Small-Scale Projects Fund. Additionally, the implementation of three strategic projects in the areas of innovation, rescue and protection, and healthcare is also expected to begin soon,” Škunca highlighted.
The Second Call for project proposals opened on 6 March and will be running until 6 June 2025. The Call is open to national, regional and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, as well as entities established by national or local government bodies, headquartered in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Montenegro.
The programme area in Montenegro includes the Capital City Podgorica, the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje, and the municipalities of Bar, Budva, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kotor, Nikšić, Tivat, Tuzi, Ulcinj, and Zeta.