Montenegro is planning to build a transit reception center for migrants and international protection seekers, which will be built in three buildings totaling 1,000 square meters near the Božaj border crossing. The construction will cost around 1,4 million euros, will accommodate up to 120 people, or up to 200 in emergencies, and will involve demolishing part of the Božaj military guardhouse for the project.
At this location, not far from the border with Albania, there is already a Reception Center for Foreigners Seeking International Protection, which can accommodate 60 people. It opened in the summer of 2020, and its construction was financed by the Government of Montenegro with 470 thousand euros and the European Union (EU), which allocated 400 thousand euros from the Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds for the reconstruction of the former “Božaj” guardhouse and the construction of the center.
According to the project documentation and information determined by the Government at the end of March on the implementation of the construction of the center, it is planned to be 1.012 square meters, of which 760 are planned for the main accommodation area with one floor, 153 square meters for the canteen and kitchen, as well as offices for the police administration of 100 square meters.
"The open transit reception center is a set of facilities for migrants and international protection seekers. The facility should have an accommodation capacity for 120 migrants and international protection seekers in normal conditions - and 200 in emergency conditions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) is the bearer of obligations from the negotiation chapter 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security and is obliged to increase the accommodation capacities of the Spuž and Božaj reception centers. Total value 1.311.944 euros including VAT. We note that the Budget Law for 2026 approved the project 'Construction of a Reception Center for Accommodation of Foreigners'", the documentation states.
At the end of March this year, the government tasked the Ministry of Interior with handing over the construction of the project to the Ministry of Public Works, which would then issue tenders and find contractors.
Public Works Department headed by Majda Adzović issued a tender for the construction of the center in early April, while the project included work on social facilities, but not social housing homes. The job was worth 1.427.800 euros, and the procedure was canceled because no bids were received for the tender, which ran until April 23.
Work on the transit center was planned to last a year.
They will get water from Lake Skadar
The center is planned along the Tuzi-Božaj highway in the cadastral municipality of Hoti, on the site of a military guardhouse with three buildings, while those that are dilapidated and unstable will be demolished. The plot has a total area of about 6.300 square meters. The project was implemented through the “Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building for Migration Management”, funded by the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro.
It is emphasized that the center is planned to be supplied with water from Lake Skadar because it cannot be connected to the city water supply, so a room for pumps and equipment for chemical and biological treatment should be provided to obtain drinking water. The intention is to biologically purify wastewater from the center, because there is no city sewage system nearby.
"The existing terrain and traffic solution are being retained and a ground-level layout for access to the newly designed facilities is envisaged as part of the architectural project. The plot, or rather the fenced area of the watchtower, has an area of 6.313 square meters, and the terrain is mostly flat and in one part with a slight slope. The plot is along the Tuzi-Božaj main road, and there is a transformer station in the immediate vicinity, which is important from the aspect of connecting the future facility to the electrical system. Within the plot, there is a plateau of 850 square meters where the container part of the open transit reception center is located. The plot also contains two existing ground-level facilities of 49 and 80 square meters, a guardhouse, a bunker, an observation tower, an antenna mast, a drinking water tank, a septic tank, a pump room, pedestrian paths and green areas. The study on the demolition of the existing facilities is not the subject of this project task," the project documentation states.
The facility is planned to have a main and several side entrances, while it would house an ambulance, quarantine, interrogation room, technical rooms with laundry, storage, office, registration desk, accommodation for people with limited mobility with companions and family, shared bathrooms, rooms and a children's playroom. On the other hand, the canteen area would have a space for food preparation and a hot line, while the police offices would have a space for a guard, a dining room, a technical room for the "RACK", toilets...
It is emphasized that before excavation, bushes and trees should be cut down, and if necessary, part of the soil should be removed.
The document approved by the Government states that a tender for the construction of a transformer station worth 54.450 euros was announced for this project, and that the job was awarded to the company "BB Solar" at the end of last year. It is stated that the contractor was introduced to the job, while the job of professional supervision was awarded to the company "Geonex" at the beginning of February this year.
It also states that the main project and its revision were prepared for the water supply, and that it cost 422.885 euros. In September last year, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Municipality of Tuzi, committing to long-term cooperation on the water supply of the future complex in Božaj. The Municipality of Tuzi then announced that the nearest point with a built water supply system is the Drume settlement, but that the capacities there are limited and should be expanded.
It is added that the Municipality of Tuzi was ready to prepare technical and other documentation for the pipeline, in order to determine all the technical, financial and legal details of the deal.
"As the construction of the open transit Reception Center in Božaj (with electricity and water supply infrastructure) is one of the conditions for closing the negotiation chapter 24, it is necessary to find a sustainable solution. Given that the funds for the construction of the future Reception Center in Božaj have been provided in the amount of 1.311.944,42 euros including VAT, the Ministry of Interior is ready to transfer this project to the Ministry of Public Works for further action, due to the unrealized tenders announced by the competent Ministry of Interior services," the document states.
The main design was done by the companies "Rakusam", "Biro M", "13. januar", "Paming", while the revision was done by the company "Europrojekt".
The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property issued the building permit for this project in July last year, so work must begin by the summer of 2027 - otherwise it will expire.
The center has recently been in the hands of public works
At the beginning of April, the government decided to entrust the construction of the transit center to the Ministry of Public Works, and allocated 1,31 million euros for this purpose.
According to the conclusions of that session, the Ministry of Interior had to hand over the project along with the necessary documentation.
"The Ministry of Finance is instructed to redirect funds from the spending unit of the Ministry of Interior: Implementation of obligations from the Schengen Action Plan in the amount of 1.311.944 euros, to the spending unit of the Ministry of Public Works: Reconstruction of the existing facility for the needs of administrative bodies," the conclusions state.
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