The Center for Civic Education (CEO) today signed contracts at the EU Info Center in Podgorica with 20 organizations whose projects were supported through the first competition within the CSO program in Montenegro - from basic services to policy formulation - M'BASE, which is implemented by the CEO in in partnership with the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), the NGO Center for the Protection and Study of Birds of Montenegro (CZIP) and the NGO Politikon Network, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media and the Office for European Integration of the Government of Montenegro, with financial support of the European Union, the CGE announced.
The announcement adds that the competition for the first of the five planned calls was announced on April 2, 2021, and this was followed by three info sessions in the north and central part of Montenegro.
"By the end of the competition, on May 9, 2021, the CGE received 103 project applications, of which 48 were from category 1 and 55 from category 2. In the context of the geographic structure, it was mostly about non-governmental organizations from the central part of Montenegro (74) , then from the north (16) and from the south (13). During the administrative check, 12 project applications that did not meet various technical criteria were rejected, and 91 projects entered the process of further evaluation, which was decided by the seven-member Evaluation Commission, which was a consortium that implements this project, along with the monitoring of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, but also the participation of an independent evaluator where it was necessary", the announcement of the CGE, signed by Monika Mrnjačević, project assistant, emphasizes.
Daliborka Uljarević, executive director of CGO, said that the planned amount for this competition was 550.000 euros, stating that the claim was seven times more.
"Ultimately, 20 projects were supported, 12 from category 1 and 8 from category 2. 33 non-governmental organizations will be involved in the implementation of these projects, whether they are holders, partners or collaborators, as well as 17 institutions as collaborators. The projects will be to be implemented mainly on the territory of the whole of Montenegro, while some of them include the component of media campaigns, while some are concentrated in the north and a few in the south," she said.
Uljarević added that the total amount with which these projects were supported was 586.394,82 euros.
"This indicates that due to a large number of high-quality projects, but also the fact that some had the same evaluations, we increased the fund by 36.394,82 euros. In addition, the beneficiaries of this program are also expected in June by the capacity building program," specified Uljarević.
She also said that Montenegro needs an active and strong civil society that participates in shaping public policies and decision-making.
"I believe that this project will help to strengthen such a civil society because the process of democratization and Europeanization needs those who will follow it and be corrective to the authorities and decision-makers," concluded Uljarević.
Audrone Urbonaviciute, deputy head of the Department for Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, assessed that "civil society is a key element of every democratic system" and that it is of crucial importance in order for the citizen's voice to be heard.
"In previous years, the EU has established excellent cooperation with local civil society. This is also reflected in the continuous increase of financial support within the national IPA funds for civil society. We are committed to finding different ways to involve different civil society organizations, in different geographical parts of the country and in different sectors. This project in a way ensures that," she said.
Urbonaviciute pointed out that the "MBASE project" is a good opportunity for Montenegrin civil society organizations, especially for smaller and less developed ones, to receive support from EU funds that will help them build their capacities and play an important role in their communities.
Ksenija Medenica, program director of the Center for the Protection and Research of Birds (CZIP), congratulated the organizations that received funds for the implementation of projects.
"Participating in the project evaluation was not easy because a lot of good project ideas arrived, and as someone who comes from an organization that has been dealing with environmental issues for 20 years, I am especially glad that there are a large number of applications and phenomenal ideas from this field." she pointed out.
Medenica said that Chapter 27, which refers to the environment, is one of the most demanding in the negotiation process with the EU, and monitoring national reforms, implementing environmental protection standards and advocating for the public interest in this area is very important.
"This competition, as well as the next ones that are planned, will enable CSOs in Montenegro to participate more actively in the adoption of European standards on the environment, as well as in the negotiations in Chapter 27," she assessed.
The CGE announced that the topics of the supported projects are diverse, and include ecology and sustainable development, youth, gender equality and the fight against violence against women, children's rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, the work of local government, the media, LGBT, health and EU integration. .
"The following projects were supported: E-accessibility to civic activism of the PWD (Blind Association of Montenegro), North on two wheels (NU Biciklo.me), Let's think, act and inspire our environment for sustainable development! (NGO association for nature conservation and promotion of tourism "Morakovo"), PriMIRje - Action of judicial authorities in cases of domestic violence in coastal municipalities (NGO Ksena), Empowerment and support for women with experience of violence (SOS phone for women and children victims of violence Bijelo Polje), Cooperation to improve the position of LSI in Tuzi (NGO Children of Montenegro), Culture up Rožaje! (NU KARIKA), Digital compass for employment (NGO InterLingua), Civil society organizations as effective actors in the decision-making process (NGO Eco-team), Razumi.me (NGO Prazan prostor) , HEP Start! (NU Hepatitis Montenegro), Local government in the palm of your hand (Alfa center), Empowered civil society in the fight against the devastation of space and protected areas (Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro CIN-CG), EU info corner in the north of Montenegro (NGO Multimedijal Montenegro), I question, therefore I exist (NGO Juventas), Active citizens for better media (Media Centar), Together for LGBTI rights (Montenegro LGBTIQ association - KVIR MONTENEGRO), Know your rights - citizen and police (NGO Action for Human rights), Raising the capacity of CSOs for active participation in the establishment of the ecological network Natura 2000 and its management (Montenegro Society of Ecologists) and Multisectoral cooperation - a condition for prevention and protection from gender-based violence (SOS phone for women and children victims of violence Podgorica)", it is written in announcement of the CGE.
CGO also announced that a detailed overview of the supported projects will be published on their and partner organizations' websites in the next three days.
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