Project description

Title: Municipal land management
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Montenegro
Lead executing agency: Ministry for Economic Development
Overall term: March 2004 to December 2009

Context

Nationalisation, confiscation and expropriation of private real property and land under socialism, along with the rapid privatisation of land holdings and property during the ensuing years, have left in their wake a confused, often inconsistent situation in regard to land ownership and use. The national cadastre and land registry authority has to this day been unable to clarify legal positions concerning ownership of land and houses comprehensively and in accord with rule of law. As a result, the scope for municipalities, in particular, to plan and take action is severely limited. Municipal revenue sources such as land taxes are not being fully exploited. Urban development is taking the form of sprawl, consuming large stretches of land, with unresolved disputes over land use, poor infrastructure, and disregard of environmental factors.

Objective

Legal security and municipal planning and administration in regard to the use of land as a resource have been improved.

Approach

The project is targeted to take effect within the municipalities: As local self-governing units, they are the most important users of cadastre and real estate registration information. The municipalities receive advice on land management, municipal real estate management and land tax collection, the most important (municipal) land management tasks.

The national land survey and real estate cadastre as well as relevant ministries are advised on improving the legal and institutional framework. Private planning offices are involved in the planning and coordination process, and support is given to developing a private surveying sector.

One particular focal area of the activities is the adequate provision of land survey and property data as well as the exchange of planning information between the participants in the planning process.

Results achieved so far

The digital data from the land survey and real estate cadastre are available to the land tax and urban planning departments of all 21 municipalities and are used with the help of a geographical information system.

The improved database has enabled the municipalities to double their land tax revenues since the beginning of the project. Taxation is increasingly equitable. The municipalities are better able to make investments.

A national development plan covering the period to 2020 has been drawn up and adopted using an integrated planning approach for the first time. All subordinate plans are orientated to this national planning document. All municipalities are meanwhile working on updating their planning documents or drafting them for the first time as the legal basis for orderly urban development. To this end, they are receiving specialist and financial support from the project.