Following the political developments in the late 1990’s in the Balkans, the European Union (EU) recognised the need to accelerate aid to Montenegro. In March 2001, the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) opened an Operational Centre in Podgorica, demonstrating the determination of the EU to respond to the needs of Montenegro to rebuild after the conflicts during the break-up of Yugoslavia, to stabilise the country and to support the Government on its democratic reforms.

Even if Montenegro had little direct involvement in the conflicts, it did not emerge from the 1990’s unscathed. The country was host to thousands of refugees from Bosnia and Kosovo, its economy was in crisis, its infrastructure dilapidated and its institutions and services in disarray. Since then, the Montenegrin Government declared economic and social reforms a National Project, with EU membership as the prime target.

Seven years on, with the help of the €130 million of EU assistance managed by the EAR, much has been achieved and Montenegro is now well on the road to Europe. A large number of structural and institutional reforms have been carried out, the economy is recovering, many former state-owned companies have been privatised and important infrastructure — especially roads and border crossings — have been upgraded.

The video “Delivering on promises: The work of the European Agency for Reconstruction in Montenegro” looks at how EU assistance has helped Montenegro in that process and the role of the EAR since it was asked in late 2000 to take the lead in managing that assistance: