12 persons from the Secretariat for European Integration, Ministry of Tourism and Environment, SME Directorate, Union of Municipalities and several NGO from Montenegro participated in this training. Some of the trainees are directly involved in the implementation of IPA component II (e.g. Secretariat for European Integration), others have participated in the programming phase and will further participate as JMC members in the implementation of these programmes.

Objectives:

The main objectives of the course were described before the course as:

1. Understanding what institutional framework needs to be established in order to manage the cross-border programme:

• What steps need to be taken before the cross-border programme can be implemented?
• Who is responsible for what in different steps?
• Role of various documents in the process

2. Know and understand how the different steps of the cross-border programme Grant Scheme work– i.e. Call for Proposals (CfP), evaluation, pre-financing, etc. With special focus on:

• Who is responsible for what?
• The role of the various documents in CfP

3. Know where to find relevant information in relation to the implementation of the cross-border programme Grant Scheme, e.g.

• Cross-border programme
• IPA Implementing Regulations
• PRAG
• Annexes to PRAG.

The course was divided according to two main strands:

a) Which institutional framework is to be established in order to implement the cross-border programmes (this part was mainly based on IPA Implementing Regulations);

b) Different steps in the implementation of the cross-border programmes (this part was mainly based on PRAG and PRAG annexes but also on the previous experiences of the trainees in implementing Neighbourhood Programmes).

Important elements of the methodology of the training are the following:

• Combine theory with exercises/“learning by doing”. Due to the relatively short duration of the training (two days), most of the topics were presented in plenary sessions (courses followed by “buzzing”). However group exercises were organised on the following topics: role of the actors in preparing/implementing a cross-border programme, Cap preparatory activities, steps in launching a Cap, steps of the projects evaluation and evaluation of a concept note (real case provided by the EAR).
• Review of the previous day (each participant tries to answer a question).

Conclusions and Lessons Learned:

All in all the training benefited from the fact that this was the second CBIB training for national authorities. Materials and training outline were adapted on the basis of the previous experience.

Participants very actively participated in the training. A number of the CBIB experts, which are actively involved in the process of establishment of the joint structures and preparation for the successful implementation, participated in this training, and that was a base for good discussion, exchange of knowledge and experience under previous EU instruments.