On 10 October 2007, another meeting within the project “INTER-MUNICIPAL COOPERATION IN MONTENEGRO; promoting inter-municipal initiatives between the Municipalities of Kotor, Herceg Novi and Tivat in the sub-region of Kotor Bay” was held at EXPEDITIO office in Kotor. The meeting gathered representatives of the three municipalities in Boka Kotorska who are members of the working group and partners from SNV WORLD.
The project is conducted by the NGO EXPEDITIO from Kotor in cooperation with SNV WORLD – Netherlands Development Agency and Municipalities of Kotor, Herceg Novi and Tivat. It is funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Belgrade.
The meeting focused on some concrete issues referring to three pilot-projects that have been realized within the project:
- a joint website of the three municipalities in Boka Kotorska on which all cultural events in the area of Boka Kotorska will be presented
- a map of cultural and natural monuments of Boka Kotorska
- a lecture on branding of Boka Kotorska
At the meeting, a model of inter-municipal cooperation titled “Joining Forces and Resources for Sustainable Development” was presented. The model was produced by the Democratic Governance practice at the UNDP Regional Centre for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States in Bratislava, Slovakia. After the presentation, the participants discussed possibilities of inter-municipal cooperation in Boka Kotorska in the field of environmental protection.
Although the general topic of the project is cultural tourism, all three municipalities in Boka Kotorska have recognized environmental protection as a joint problem, stating that it could be the focus of their future cooperation. Some municipalities have not yet carried out an assessment of environmental situation and needs. In the municipality of Herceg Novi, a LEAP (Local Environmental Action Plan) was adopted last year, in the municipality of Kotor the adoption of its latest version is expected, while in the municipality of Tivat it has not been drawn up yet.
It has been agreed to arrange a meeting with lawyers or persons responsible for environmental protection in the municipalities of Boka in order to discuss possibilities of inter-municipal cooperation in the field of environmental protection. In the future, more funds will be available for supporting projects in this area and we should be ready for them.
