Planet Earth is our home and all environmental problems, such as air pollution, global warming, water scarcity, fresh water shortage and loss of biodiversity, have far-reaching implications for its conservation, as well as for people’s health. It is therefore important to tackle these problems and protect the environment for our present and future generations.
The EU has made serious efforts in doing so. Did you know that the EU has been improving people’s well-being and nature protection through its environmental policy since 1972? It is one of the most important and most demanding European policies. It protects human health through legislation on climate, nature, waste, water, air quality and chemicals. That is why Chapter 27, which is dedicated to the environment and climate change, represents one of the most difficult and demanding negotiating chapters.
Montenegro officially opened the negotiations in this chapter in 2018, which has given the country, which declared itself as an ecological state, a unique opportunity to strengthen its environmental policy. The EU has so far invested €40 million in environmental protection in Montenegro. Through different projects, the EU has helped to improve waste management and air quality, enhance habitat protection and upgrade and construct the sewerage network in Montenegro.
The EU will continue to support the development of environmental legislation, as well as infrastructural development and upgrading across the country, with large investments mainly aimed at addressing wastewater collection treatment, air quality and nature protection.
The European Union is the largest donor and investor in Montenegro. Since 2007, it has allocated more than 610 million euros in grants in order to improve the lives of Montenegrin citizens. Through hundreds of projects implemented together with state and local authorities, civil society organisations, businesses and citizens, the European Union has been making a substantive difference in Montenegro over the past 15 years.
It builds homes and farms and invests money in the production of healthy food. It improves and modernises healthcare services. It provides support to the complex public administration reform, but also to the unemployed, giving them a chance to start their own businesses. It protects Montenegrin rivers, lakes, forests and meadows, trying to instil European nature protection standards. It provides young people with the opportunity to study abroad, but also to acquire new knowledge and skills through informal learning. It is especially devoted to helping vulnerable groups, and as a result, women, minorities, the LGBT community, young people and people with disabilities today have more rights and better protection thanks to EU investments.
The European Union is able to achieve all of this partly through the well-known Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), by means of which the European Union helps Montenegro build strong democratic institutions, strengthen the rule of law, implement public administration reform, ensure greater respect for human rights, promote gender equality, strengthen civil society, enhance regional cooperation, improve the quality of education at all levels, enable sustainable development and reduce poverty. The aim is to encourage fundamental democratic and economic reforms in the country so it could better prepare for full membership and functioning within the EU system. At the same time, it closely monitors results in accession negotiations, assisting Montenegro to adopt the EU acquis and be able to implement it effectively.
In this way, the European Union wants the citizens of Montenegro to experience concrete benefits and progress in their lives already now, not just when the country becomes part of the Union. Here you can read how the EU is making an effort to achieve its goal – through a clear and practical overview of EU projects in 14 different areas. Explore our website and feel free to contact us if you need additional information.
