16 April 2019 - Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the Western Balkans Zsuzsanna Hargitai, who is on an official visit to Montenegro, met with the Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vuković on April 16 to discuss further cooperation regarding the development of the Capital City.
The main topic of the meeting was the progress that Podgorica has made in relations to its official entry into the EBRD Green Cities programme and EBRD Smart Cities programme. These programmes are of great importance for the Capital of Montenegro, for almost all the capitals of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are currently implementing them.
Mayor Vuković expressed his satisfaction with the fact that, apart from being considered as one of Montenegro's most important partners in development, today the EBRD officially becomes one of the most important partners of the Capital, in the efforts of the city administration to make Podgorica a green and smart city.
"The first step towards our goal involves the reconstruction of dozens of buildings, that is, buildings owned by the Capital City, but not only the facilities used by our administration, but also those that are in public use, which will in this way become more beautiful and more energy efficient," the Mayor explained, adding that the positive experiences of cities in the region in the implementation of similar projects will be a road sign that Podgorica will follow in the years ahead.
Mayor Vuković also emphasized that this step represents only a part of the "green package" which will be fully implemented by the administration of the Capital. "The Green Package includes a lot of projects, among others, wastewater treatment plant, reconstruction of public lighting, construction of a solar power plant, electricity generation from biogas, promotion of alternative forms of traffic, an attempt to compensate for a part of the lost green fund of Podgorica by greening numerous locations in the Capital, as well as the modernization of our public transport," Vuković said. "All of these plans imply that the City Administration has a very ambitious agenda and, quite certainly, without the help and support of partners such as the EBRD, we could not succeed in the way we have so far. With optimism, we expect a further continuation of our cooperation," the Mayor concluded.
"At the beginning of this successful cooperation, which aims to transform Podgorica into a smart and green city, we have signed a letter of commitment that will help us in the realization of projects," said EBRD Director for the Western Balkans, Zsuzsanna Hargitai.
Podgorica has joined EBRD Green Cities with first steps towards improving the energy efficiency in public buildings in the Capital of Montenegro in December 2018. Mayor Ivan Vuković and EBRD Head of Montenegro Jaap Sprey, signed a mandate letter committing the city to improve the sustainability and liveability of the Capital. The mandate letter is the first step on the path to developing a Green City Action Plan (GCAP) for Podgorica. The GCAP strategically addresses the city’s needs for sustainable and green growth. With financing from the EBRD and international donors, the plan addresses the most pressing climate change and environmental challenges, including public building energy efficiency, urban roads and lighting, urban transport, water and wastewater, and, to reduce local pollution, improve energy and resource efficiency and promote climate change adaptation.
Director Hargitai emphasized that the EBRD is a long-standing partner of Montenegro and has invested over half a billion euros in the country so far. She also expressed her satisfaction that the EBRD will support the realization of the projects above, which will contribute to improving the living conditions of all citizens of Podgorica and further development of the Capital of Montenegro.
