In Podgorica, the first meeting of the Thematic Network for Transport was held, within the project “Municipalities for the EU – Empowering local communities in the process of EU integration of Montenegro.”
The meeting brought together representatives of the Ministry of Transport, the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, project experts, and representatives of local self-governments.
Bojana Laković, Acting Director-General of the Directorate for Capital Projects and International Cooperation, emphasized the importance of the participation of local self-governments in the process of drafting the Transport Development Strategy for the period 2019–2035 and aligning policies with European Union standards:
“We have a deadline from the Commission to fulfill all obligations regarding negotiation chapters and to adopt all necessary laws and strategic documents by the end of this year. It is especially important that local self-governments create their own local strategies for transport development in accordance with European policies and the Green Agenda.”
It was emphasized that local self-governments must fulfill the obligations foreseen by the Reform Agenda.
Miroslav Mašić, Acting Director-General of the Directorate for State Roads, stated:
“Transport policy, although adopted at a higher level, for me is an opportunity for certain projects to be positioned, but also to strengthen European policy at the level of local self-governments.
I recognize two strategic directions as key: improving transport accessibility in local communities and increasing traffic safety. Therefore, I appeal to you to work, as much as possible, on implementing the measures and recommendations from the Transport Development Strategy. The key to this lies in quality planning documents that will provide clear guidelines. At this moment, we have strategies, feasibility studies, traffic organization studies – and these are all useful tools – but I think we are still not at the level we should be to truly promote mobility in a sustainable way. These documents should give you guidelines on the direction in which to develop, how to introduce smart traffic lights, spatial management systems, and other innovative tools.”
Sanja Živković, Secretary of the Committee for Communal Affairs and Environment, stated:
“If there is quality technical documentation, funds will certainly be provided. That is not a theoretical possibility – it is a practice we are already applying.”
The meeting was opened by Goran Đurović, expert of the project “Municipalities for the EU,” emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the central and local levels in areas that are key to citizens’ lives and alignment with EU standards.
In the final part, Marija Kljajić, Secretary of the Committee for Spatial Planning, emphasized the importance of active involvement of municipalities in the planning and implementation of transport projects in accordance with the needs of local communities.
