Minister Ćulafić: The decision to join the LIFE program has opened doors to European funds for environmental protection

The Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Northern Development, Damjan Ćulafić, stated at the opening of LIFE Info Day that this event presents an opportunity to showcase the possibilities offered by the LIFE program, the only financial instrument of the European Union fully dedicated to environmental protection and climate change. At the same time, we want to turn reform processes into concrete results on the ground — through nature protection, waste management improvement, biodiversity preservation, climate change adaptation, and sustainable local community development, the minister said. He particularly highlighted the fact that seven projects with Montenegrin partners have been approved for funding, with total support from the European Union of nearly one million euros, and that four new projects have been approved in the latest call and are currently in the process of contract preparation. During LIFE Info Day, the national contact person for the LIFE program, Sanela Metjahić, presented four key subprograms of LIFE: nature and biodiversity protection, circular economy and quality of life improvement, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and transition to clean energy. Metjahić emphasized that Montenegro, as a beneficiary country of the LIFE program, has the opportunity to further strengthen its capacities for implementing policies in environmental protection and climate change through this instrument, as well as to improve compliance with European standards. Participants learned about the types of projects financed through the LIFE program, and it was particularly emphasized that the deadline for submitting standard action projects within the 2026 LIFE call is approaching.