In order to complete the series of trainign sessions on project preparation held in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in autumn of 2009, CBIB II advertised another round of these capacity building events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia in the first quarter of 2010.

Potential Applicants from Montenegro showed great interest in the training sessions and around 200 applied from trainings. The schedule of dates and locations was made according to the number of participants and their place of residence. In addition, the training sessions took place over a relatively short period of time in order to cover the whole territory of Montenegro before the launching of the 2nd Cf P for the programme between Albania and Montenegro, which took place in June.

Training participants

Participants represented various sectors and areas of life – local and national authorities, NGOs, CSOs, schools, health and social care institutions, public enterprises, art and culture institutions, etc.

Furthermore, fruitful cooperation was established with the JTSs/Antennae for the four programmes with Western Balkan neighbours that Montenegro participates in and their representatives took part in several training sessions and presented the scope of their respective programmes.

Training objectives

The main objective of these tree-day training sessions was to provide the potential applicants for IPA CBC programmes with Western Balkan neighbours that Montenegro participates in – with Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia – the essential information and knowledge to help them understand the logic behind preparing cross-border projects and applying for grants from IPA funds.

All the sessions were organised as a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises. All parts of the project preparation process according to the Logical Framework Approcah were presented, as well as how to fill in the application form, the Logframe and the budget.

Both national and local media adequately covered the training sessions organised in Montenegro. A joint press conference was held with the Montenegrin Minister for European Integration, Ms. Gordana Djurovic, on April 13th, 2010 in Podgorica. This opportunity was used by both the Minister and CBIB Team Leader, Ms. Natasa Gospodjinacki, to emphasise the importance of IPA cross-border programmes for good neighbourly relations in the Balkans as well as for the economic and social development of local communities.

Pictures from the training sessions can be found in our Photo Gallery.