Improving Cooperation between Montenegro and the European Union in the Field of Transport

Minister Osman Nurkovic met with the Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Montenegro, Mr. Aivo Orav. Minister Nurkovic expressed gratitude for all the support and assistance Montenegro had received from the European Commission, pointing out that the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs was among the largest beneficiaries of investment support instruments provided to the Western Balkan countries through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) and Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), and yet there were evident lengthy procedures for the realization of funds granted from EU funds, for which reason the planned implementation schedule for projects which had to be implemented in accordance with domestic regulations was often jeopardized.

 

The meeting focused in particular on the realization of other sections of the Bar-Boljare highway, in connection with which Minister Nurkovic recalled the recently signed "Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation for the Bar-Boljare Highway Construction Project based on the Principles of Private-Public Partnership" with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), whose copy has been handed over to Mr. Orav today, as an expression of the effort to ensure the application of the principle of transparency.

 

It was emphasized that by signing the Memorandum the Company CRBC was brought to no privileged position, that it was only the first company that expressed its interest, which was understandable because they had already been present on the market, on the Bar-Boljare highway project.

 

The Minister recalled that he had recently invited all interested parties to present their interest and propose their conditions and models for the realization of other sections of the Bar-Boljare highway, on the principles of private-public partnership, based on the best international practice, in compliance with the principles of equal treatment, free competition and non-discrimination and asked for assistance, for the call to reach as many renowned European Companies as possible. In this respect, Nurkovic emphasized: "We are expecting a greater presence of European companies in the realization of other sections of the Bar-Boljar highway, in order to fully ensure compliance with the principles of competitiveness and the definition of optimal conditions for realization, emphasizing that no one is privileged, that the prices and implementation deadlines, the quality of work, experience and references are the only recommendations to be evaluated. "

 

"The fact that the Republic of Serbia, with the Belgrade-South Adriatic project implementation, came close to the border with Montenegro encourages the growth of interest of potential partners, financiers and contractors for the implementation of the project section through Montenegro, and therefore the implementation of this project may no longer be questionable" – Nurkovic emphasized.

 

Mr. Orav was grateful for the opportunity to talk about co-operation in the field of transport, pointing out that the EU spent 35 million euros annually in Montenegro, a significant part of which was related to transport infrastructure. He highlighted the importance of the forthcoming implementation of the Treaty Establishing the Southeastern European Transport Community, as well as the forthcoming EU-Western Balkans Summit, scheduled for May 17 in Sofia.

 

At the end of the meeting, mutual readiness and desire for further improvement of cooperation were expressed, but the importance of strengthening human resources was also pointed out, which was assessed as a particularly important development factor after Montenegro’s accession to the European Union.

 

The meeting was also attended by MSc Angelina Zivkovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, and Mr. Hermann Spitz, Head of Cooperation Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro.

 

Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs