BergerWorld: 3rd Quarter 2006

Until 1992, Yugoslavia had a highly decentralized political structure with communities and municipalities as the basic political units. Following the break up of the Federal Republic, Montenegro's political institutions were centralized and given wider authority. However, at the beginning of the 2000s this process was reversed, and powers were returned to the municipalities. The reform included increased responsibilities for tax collections, budgeting, procurement and management, increasing the need to develop the capacity of municipalities to deliver essential services to Montenegro's 630,548 residents.

Louis Berger SAS was selected by the European Agency for Reconstruction to develop a master plan called the Medium Term Operational Strategy (MTOS), in an effort to meet the country's social needs. Berger experts assisted Montenegro in the creation of a nationwide Municipal Investment Plan, identifying municipal needs and implementing local urban improvement programs for water, wastewater, solid waste handling, public buildings and urban streets. Specific activities the Team addressed included developing and monitoring municipal master plans, institutional capacity building, improving financial administration, developing municipal infrastructure plans, environmental studies and urban IT needs.