The Directorate for Protection and Rescue of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) will implement, with the support of the European Commission (EC), a project aimed at strengthening disaster risk management capacities, the government department announced.
The Ministry of Interior said that the project "Prevention and Preparedness Measures for Disaster Risk Management", which is supported by the EC, will last until the end of June next year and that its completion will mark the finalization of a document that will further improve Montenegro's resilience to disasters.
"It is known that we live in an area that is no stranger to natural and other disasters, fires, floods, earthquakes. They are occurring more and more frequently and increasingly causing great material damage," said Miodrag Bešović, Director General of the Protection and Rescue Directorate, opening the first meeting to mark the start of the project implementation.
He said that it is therefore the obligation of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue to first assess, and then continuously strengthen existing capacities and effectively implement measures to protect the population, material and cultural assets, and the environment.
All of the above, he added, has a strong foothold in the project being implemented with financial support from the EC, which will serve Montenegro, as a member state of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, to define measures that need to be implemented in accordance with the nine risk groups defined in the Disaster Risk Assessment.
Project coordinator Ljuban Tmušić emphasized that this project will enable the completion of the risk management cycle in Montenegro.
"In previous years, we have conducted a Disaster Risk Assessment, then a Risk Management Capability Assessment, as well as the Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy 2025-2030, which was adopted by the Government on November 1 last year," said Tmušić.
He said that they are now working on a document that will define specific measures for prevention and preparedness for disaster risk management.
"Based on that, we will create recommendations for strengthening administrative, technical and financial capacities, as well as improving the legislative framework in that area," said Tmušić.
At today's meeting, EC representative Vladlena Doroshenko Salatenko praised Montenegro's cooperation with the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO) so far.
She emphasized that all projects implemented so far have been implemented in accordance with EC rules, in terms of expected results and objectives, as well as public procurement procedures and activities carried out in accordance with financial obligations.
According to Doroshenko Salatenko, Montenegro has so far proven to be a reliable partner, and the implementation of previous projects has been extremely successful.
"The EC is satisfied with the results achieved and encourages Montenegro to continue using available funds to improve its disaster risk reduction system," said Doroshenko Salatenko.
The Ministry of Interior said that plans for further work were also presented at the meeting, including the formation of nine working groups, with 59 members, which will analyze and define prevention and preparedness measures for various types of risks, as well as the organization of expert meetings and consultations with the aim of drafting the document.
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