A working meeting of representatives of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro (UOM) and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia (SKGO) was held on 12 September 2025 at the premises of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities in Belgrade. The meeting was dedicated to further strengthening cooperation and exchanging good practices among local self-government units of the two countries.
The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro was represented by Secretary General Mišela Manojlović and Simona Bošković, Secretary of the Committee for International Cooperation and European Integration. On behalf of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), the participants were welcomed by Secretary General Nikola Tarbuk, who presented the organisation's work, structure, and priorities, including its eight sectoral committees and 28 professional networks.
During the meeting, the key services through which the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) supports the work of cities and municipalities were presented. These included an electronic portal for legal matters, a database of legal opinions and updates, an index system for measuring the performance of local self-government units, and an electronic portal for monitoring project financing. Particular attention was given to the innovative "support packages", which include mentoring, training activities, the development of model acts and handbooks, and are implemented over a period ranging from six to eighteen months. It was highlighted that the implementation of 175 such support packages for local self-government units in Serbia is planned for the forthcoming period.
SKGO's project managers also presented their ongoing initiatives, including:
- EU support for integrated territorial development – "EU Integra" (Edi Majstorović)
- Support for sustainable community-based social protection services and inclusion policies at the local level (Vladimir Zafirović)
- EU support for human resource management in local self-government – phase 3 (Marko Tomašević)
- Child rights in local self-government units (Sonja Vujin)
During the workshop, the UOM delegation exchanged experiences and became acquainted with practical solutions for strengthening the capacities of local administrations, as well as with the possibilities for their application in Montenegro. It was agreed that the cooperation would continue through the exchange of methodologies, tools, and training materials, as well as through the definition of concrete forms of future joint activities.
The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SKGO) will continue to strengthen their partnership and exchange good practices, with the aim of enhancing the competencies of local government officials and ensuring more effective implementation of projects in local self-government units.
