Over three million euros to Montenegro for a project in the field of protection and rescue

Montenegro will receive 3,2 million euros in grants from the European Union (EU) to improve equipment and response in the field of protection and rescue, the Ministry of European Affairs (MEP) announced.

It is stated that this is planned within the framework of the cross-border project INEREP, which Montenegro is implementing in cooperation with partners from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and whose beginning was officially celebrated in Split.

The MEP said that the total value of the project, aimed at improving cross-border cooperation for responding to emergency situations, is around 15 million euros.

As announced, 3,2 million euros have been allocated for the participation of the Montenegrin Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"These funds will be used to purchase firefighting and off-road vehicles for extinguishing fires, modular containers for training in extinguishing internal fires, as well as rescue and technical equipment for interventions," said MEP.

They added that a modular tunnel model will be developed to simulate rescue operations and office furniture will be purchased for the National Training Center in Podgorica.

The MEP announced that joint trainings in Podgorica and Split will strengthen ties between protection and rescue services and enable the exchange of knowledge and best practices.

It is stated that the INEREP project brings concrete and modern solutions in the field of protection and rescue.

"The development of a joint action plan for prevention and preparedness, the development of a FireGIS application for real-time fire risk monitoring, joint training of emergency response services, as well as the construction and equipping of new training centers and fire stations," the statement said.

The Director General of the Directorate for European Territorial Cooperation at the MEP, Miloš Marković, said at a ceremonial conference in Split that the project enables the strengthening of technical and organizational capacities.

"This project allows us to jointly improve prevention and response to emergencies through strategic investments, strengthening technical and organizational capacities, and raising awareness among the population," Marković pointed out.

According to him, the INEREP project will significantly contribute to strengthening cross-border cooperation between protection and rescue services, improving institutional capacities, modernizing infrastructure, and applying modern digital tools.

"In this way, we will create conditions for faster reaction, better coordination and greater preparedness of local communities during such events," said Marković.