The European Commission (EC) has acknowledged Montenegro’s efforts in utilizing IPARD II funds and praised the achieved results, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
The EU Delegation in Montenegro, in cooperation with the Ministry, organized a press conference ahead of the regular meeting of the IPARD Monitoring Committee, where the results of the implementation of the IPARD II program, which was completed last year, were presented.
Frank Bollen, Head of the Pre-Accession Neighborhood, Enlargement, and Pre-Accession Assistance Unit at the EC, expressed satisfaction with the progress made during the years of implementing the IPARD II program and thanked the IPARD structures for their significant efforts in achieving these results.
“Of course, the implementation of the IPARD program is not just about spending available funds. The EC expects Montenegro to ensure that the spending of IPARD funds is proper and correct, as it concerns the taxpayers’ money from the EU. Ultimately, the proper implementation of IPARD support is crucial as it helps Montenegro prepare for EU membership and ensures that your farmers and rural areas will benefit from support under the Common Agricultural Policy in the future,” said Bollen.
According to the Ministry’s statement, Minister Vladimir Joković highlighted that the activities so far have resulted in the successful realization of 748 projects.
“Thanks to the IPARD program, Montenegrin farmers have modernized their production with 84 constructed or reconstructed facilities through Measure 1 and Measure 3, with an investment payout of 25.6 million EUR,” Joković specified.
He added that these projects would result in improved product quality, increased production volumes, greater competitiveness, and the achievement of EU food safety standards in both the primary and processing sectors.
As for investments in machinery, 627 projects were funded with an investment amount of 47.6 million EUR, supporting the purchase of 467 tractors with a total support amount of 8.2 million EUR.
The meeting was preceded by a separate bilateral meeting between Joković and his associates, and Bollen and the EU Delegation representatives.
During the meeting, it was assessed that a more challenging task lies ahead for Montenegro’s administration and agricultural producers, as 63 million EUR are available from the IPARD III program.
“Given that this amount is much higher than for the previous IPARD II program, there are more opportunities to support farmers, the agri-food sector, and rural areas,” the statement added.
The Ministry and the EU Delegation in Podgorica also held a session of the IPARD III Monitoring Committee.
As in previous years, a visit to IPARD beneficiaries was organized for EC representatives, where they could directly assess the challenges in implementing the program.
