The Municipality of Žabljak and the Pardubice Region from the Czech Republic are developing a partnership that will encompass the most important areas for local community development - health, education, management of European projects, tourism, sports, environmental protection and improvement of the protection and rescue system, the local government announced.
They say that this was agreed upon during a meeting between the Pardubice Region delegation led by Governor Martin Netolicki and the Mayor of the Municipality Radoš Žugić, during an official visit of Czech officials to Žabljak.
They said that this cooperation will be formalized in the coming months through the signing of a Declaration of Cooperation, and that the first visible indicators of this cooperation have already been agreed: the Pardubice Region will donate ambulances, an ultrasound machine intended for pregnant women, and new laboratory equipment to the Žabljak Health Center, while the Protection and Rescue Service will receive a specialized fire truck and additional equipment.
"Cooperation with European regions that have decades of experience in using EU funds and managing local policies is of invaluable importance for our municipalities. This partnership is not protocol - it directly affects the quality of life of our citizens and Montenegro's readiness to become a fully functional member of the European Union in 2028," said Žugić, recalling that the cooperation began in 2024, during a working visit of delegations from Žabljak and Tivat to the Pardubice region.
Netolicki, as reported, expressed satisfaction that the two communities find so many points of contact and common challenges.
"I was surprised by how many topics for cooperation we have. From culture, sports, tourism, to economy and public administration - our systems face similar problems and that is why it is important to learn from each other. The Czech Republic has been in the European Union for 20 years and we have significant experience in using funds. We promised to share all these practices with our colleagues from Montenegro," said the governor.
According to him, the quality of life directly depends on the availability of funds for development projects, and it is encouraging that Žabljak is preparing several new projects that will contribute to the retention of the population and the strengthening of the local economy.
"It is in our interest that the quality of life in Montenegro increases, because we will soon be under the same European roof, and the differences between regions will be decreasing," he added.
Žugić pointed out that cooperation with the Pardubice region is gaining additional importance, given the decentralized governance model in the Czech Republic, where strong competencies are located at the municipal, district and regional levels.
"These are practices that we want to adopt. Žabljak is a tourist municipality that must strengthen its capacities, expand international partnerships, and adopt the best European standards in order to be competitive and ready for the obligations that EU membership brings," said the Mayor.
During their stay in Žabljak, the delegation of the Pardubice Region, led by Governor Netolicki, visited key local institutions - the Health Station and Emergency Medical Service, the Sports Center, the city landfill and recycling center, the Protection and Rescue Service, Crno Jezero, the Durmitor NP Natural History Collection, and the "17. September" Secondary School, where they discussed priorities, challenges, and opportunities for future cooperation.
"The visit ended with a joint assessment that the partnership between Žabljak and the Pardubice region has strong development potential and represents another step towards local communities in Montenegro becoming fully prepared for European standards and processes," the statement reads.
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