20 March 2019 - Based on the Sava and Drina corridor integrated development program, which represents new and one of the largest regional initiatives in recent years in the field of integrated water resources management, Montenegro will have at its disposal about 20 million EUR for projects aimed at improving water management in the Drina River basin, according to the report by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
This allocation of funds was agreed at the first meeting of the representatives of the Drina and Sava River Basin States - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro, with representatives of the World Bank on the launch of the regional Sava-Drina Corridor Program with a total value of 220 million EUR.
"At the meeting held in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegrin interests were represented by the State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Đuro Žugić and the Director General of the Directorate for Water Management, Momčilo Blagojević. The meeting was attended by the World Bank’s Regional Director for Western Balkans Linda Van Gelder and the Country Manager for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro in the Europe and Central Asia region of the World Bank, Emanuel Salinas "the statement read.
The economy and jobs in the Western Balkans region depend heavily on shared water resources such as Sava-Drina waterways, to transport goods, generate energy, grow food and fibres, sustain biodiversity and provide for leisure and eco-tourism. As the Sava flows from west to east across Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina reaching the Danube in Serbia, the river opens the opportunity to regain some of its former position as an important transportation corridor that simultaneously requires interventions to manage floods. The Drina corridor, on the other hand, has significant potential for hydropower generation, food production and tourism development.
The long-term objective of the Sava-Drina River Corridor Integrated Development Program is to foster regional cooperation and unlock productive investments. This regional program, through a range of studies, policy dialogue and investments would aim to strengthen capabilities and economic development of the riparian countries, by jointly selecting priorities for support in technical assistance, dialogue, institutional strengthening, and investment with a focus on the accession process non-EU members and compliance agenda of new members.
Perhaps just as important, the program will also be a relatively uncontroversial opportunity for the countries of the region to signal their ability and willingness to tackle transboundary issues together.
