A year ago, Montenegro joined the Interreg Europe interregional cooperation programme, becoming part of a vast programme territory that fosters opportunities for sharing policy solutions and knowledge. The program aims to ensure that investments and innovations implemented by authorities lead to integrated and sustainable solutions for all people and regions.
Serving as a meeting point for regional and local authorities, Interreg Europe’s goal is to facilitate the exchange of best practices and successful policies that can effectively address challenges and lead to more efficient regional development policy management.
Acting as a meeting point for regional and local authorities, the program’s goal is to exchange best practices and successful policies that effectively address challenges and lead to more efficient management of regional development policies.
The program focuses on one key priority – Better Cooperation Governance – which is addressed through six thematic areas: A Smarter Europe, A Greener Europe, A More Connected Europe, A More Social Europe, Europe Closer to Citizens and Better Regional Governance. Each of these themes is grounded in the European Union’s cohesion policy, and this multilayered approach enables programme beneficiaries to collaborate on topics of shared interest in line with their regional needs.
Participation in two calls
With a budget of €394 million, the programme supports the exchange of good practices and solutions across a territory that covers 36 European countries, including 27 EU Member States, five IPA countries, as well as Norway, Switzerland, Moldova and regions of Ukraine not under Russian control.
As one of the seven countries that joined the programme in its advanced implementation phase, Montenegrin participants had the opportunity to participate in two calls. The Restricted Call was specifically designed for newcomers, allowing them to join one of 150 projects from the First and Second Calls that had already been underway. By focusing on the themes of a Smarter Europe and a Greener Europe, Montenegrin partners became involved in four projects, among the 55 approved in this call.
With a budget of around €380,000, Montenegrin institutions and organisations will work over the next three to four years to improve the implementation of regional development policies. These include promoting corporate digital responsibility in SMEs, advancing cycling policies to contribute to the decarbonisation of transport by shifting from motorised transport to bicycles, improving policies for hydrogen-based green mobility planning and infrastructure development, and supporting authorities in placing future skills at the core of a dual transition for smarter and more resilient development.
Additionally, Montenegrin participants took part in the Third Call, where a total of 113 project proposals were approved for funding in mid-December. Among these, 12 Montenegrin institutions and organisations participate in 10 approved projects, with a combined budget of €1.5 million. These projects address all six thematic areas of the programme.
Policy Learning Platform: another tool for policy enhancement
The Policy Learning Platform is Interreg Europe’s second pillar, which together with interregional cooperation projects helps regional, local, and national authorities design and implement better policies. It is rooted in best practices in regional development policies and aims to foster policy learning across the programme territory.
This platform provides a space where the European policy-making community can make use of the knowledge and expertise of peers and specialists working at a regional level. It offers insights on a variety of topics through thematic publications, online and in-person events, and direct communication with a team of experts.
Users have the opportunity to connect with policymakers facing the same or similar challenges, learn from their colleagues’ experiences, get practical advice on their daily policy-making work and build professional capacities. They can also share their own policy-making experiences and suggest topics for experts on the Platform to address through publications and events. A significant advantage of the Platform is that its benefits can be accessed at any time until the end of the programming period (2021–2027).
Whether through projects or the Platform’s services, Montenegro’s participation in Interreg Europe creates opportunities for strengthening interregional cooperation and exchanging knowledge and experiences with partners from the EU and other participating countries. Investing in improved cooperation management and aligning local and national policies with European standards can accelerate the development of institutional capacities in Montenegro, representing an important step towards its integration into the European Union.
By Danijela Anđić, Interreg Europe national contact point