Container homes installation underway at refugee camp Konik in Podgorica as middle-term solution, completion expected within schedule

Podgorica, Montenegro (15 November 2012) – As of 14 November 2012, a total of 126 container homes (which will house 90 families) out of 216 planned, were set up in the refugee camp Konik I, as a medium-term solution for accommodating the population that suffered from a severe fire this summer. Parts of the camp on the outskirts of Podgorica were destroyed in a fire on 24 July. Around 800 persons, mainly Roma who fled Kosovo during the war in 1999, were left homeless and the Red Cross set up 90 tents as temporary housing for the endangered population.

Poor weather conditions have hampered the setting up of the container homes, as well as the life in the refugee camp, which is why the Operational Team, responsible for dealing with the effects of the fire, put a particular emphasis on improving living conditions until the setting up of all container homes.

Although it has been subjected to difficult working conditions, the Operation Team believes that its work will be done according to the Government’s plan. The track record in mitigating the effects of the fire was positively evaluated by representatives of the EU Delegation to Montenegro and the international organisations.

The Council of Europe’s Development Bank, whose experts visited the refugee camp on Wednesday, gave a grant amounted to EUR 400.000 for the project of housing the Roma refugees worth EUR 1.260.000 million.