The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro welcomes the adoption of the amendments to the Law on the Legalization of Unauthorized Buildings, which accepted its initiative to extend the deadline for initiating the procedure for registering illegally constructed buildings in the cadastral records from 12 to 24 months.
This legislative solution confirms the importance of a partnership between the state administration and local self-governments. We particularly appreciate the constructive cooperation with the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property, which, during the preparation of the law, took into account the arguments and needs of municipalities. We believe that precisely this approach where legislative solutions are developed through dialogue with those who will be directly responsible for their implementation represents the best model for adopting high-quality and sustainable legislation.
At the same time, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on Local Civil Servants and Employees, which regulates one of the most important areas for the functioning of local self-government. During the preparation of the Law, the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro submitted detailed comments, suggestions and proposals on several occasions, in good faith drawing attention to provisions which it considers not to be in compliance with the Constitution of Montenegro and the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
We particularly emphasize that the Ministry of Public Administration accepted the proposal of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro to regulate local civil service relations through a separate law, rather than through the Law on Local Self-Government, which represents a significant step forward in improving the legislative framework in this area.
However, the Union was not in a position to prepare amendments to the Draft Law, as it did not have access to its final text and was not informed that the Law would be considered at this session of Parliament. Therefore, in the coming period, together with all municipalities, it will conduct a detailed analysis of the adopted Law and assess its effects on the functioning of local self-government.
Based on this analysis, the Union will determine its position on any further initiatives aimed at addressing provisions that it considers not to be in compliance with the Constitution of Montenegro and the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
We recall that, throughout the entire process of drafting the Law, the Union consistently and in good faith highlighted the need to align the proposed legislative solutions with the recommendations of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, particularly those aimed at strengthening local democracy, safeguarding the administrative autonomy of municipalities, and creating the conditions for efficient and professional local administration.
We are convinced that laws governing the local self-government system must enable municipalities to attract and retain qualified professionals, effectively exercise their competences, and provide citizens with high-quality, professional and cost-effective services. The European Charter of Local Self-Government, as an international treaty forming an integral part of Montenegro’s domestic legal order and taking precedence over national legislation, constitutes a binding standard that must be consistently respected when regulating all matters of relevance to local self-government.
The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro will continue to be a constructive partner to state institutions and to represent the common interests of all municipalities, with the aim of creating a high-quality legislative framework that will contribute to further decentralization, more efficient functioning of local self-governments, and better-quality services for citizens.
Union of Municipalities of Montenegro
