Directors of the Environmental Protection Funds of the Republic of Srpska and Montenegro signed a memorandum of cooperation and information exchange in Banja Luka.
The memorandum covers areas of environmental protection, waste management, protected areas, as well as energy efficiency.
The Director of the Environmental Protection Fund of the Republic of Srpska, Srđan Todorović, stated that this memorandum will facilitate collaboration on projects within the cross-border cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, as well as projects jointly planned with other international donors.
“This memorandum allows us to mutually exchange operational documents and data that will be necessary for the transfer of knowledge and experience that the funds possess,” Todorović said.
The Director of the Environmental Protection Fund of Montenegro, Draško Boljević, emphasized that the signing of this memorandum establishes the foundation for future cooperation between the two funds.
“Environmental problems and challenges in energy efficiency do not recognize borders, nationality, or the countries they belong to; they are regional issues,” Boljević pointed out.
Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, Bojan Vipotnik, expressed confidence that the signing of this memorandum would lead to stronger collaboration and open up new opportunities for joint projects with EU funds and other international financial institutions.
“I believe that through joint efforts and joint projects, we can address certain issues related to floating waste in the Drina River basin, as well as make significant progress in the sustainability of protected areas, such as the national parks ‘Sutjeska’ in Srpska and ‘Durmitor’ in Montenegro, and the Nature Park ‘Orjen,’ which is located in both countries,” he said.
Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska, Petar Đokić, expressed support for the activities of these two funds, emphasizing that long-term cooperation will be beneficial for both Srpska and Montenegro.