More than 70 per cent of EU legislation is implemented at the local level, making municipalities crucial to the integration process – it was concluded at the meeting Mišele Manojlović, secretary general of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro (UOM), and Radmile Dragišićassistant minister at the Ministry for European Integration and International Cooperation of Republika Srpska.
Manojlović emphasized that the Union actively supports local self-government units in the EU pre-accession process, particularly in the areas of decentralisation and fiscal autonomy. She recalled that, at the initiative of the Union, a monitoring mission of the Council of Europe was carried out, and that its 2024 report triggered a process of decentralisation, the effects of which are already being felt by municipalities in the fields of spatial planning, tax policy, and social protection.
Manojlović emphasized that, at the international level, the Union has strengthened the position of municipalities through the active participation of its delegations in the Committee of the Regions, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, ARLEM, and NALAS.
Over the past three years, municipalities have been awarded more than 90 donor-funded projects with a total value exceeding EUR 25 million. Since 2019, a Project Pre-financing Fund has also been in place, facilitating the absorption of resources from European funds. Among the most significant initiatives is the *"Municipalities for the EU"* project, valued at EUR 1 million, which provides direct support to municipalities in strengthening their capacities for EU accession.
Over the past two years, the Union has also secured more than EUR 800,000 in direct financial support for municipalities, established a Training Centre, organised more than 60 training sessions, and set up 15 professional networks of local government officials to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience. "Montenegro has become an example of the successful involvement of the local level in the European integration process," Manojlović emphasized.
Dragišić also confirmed that Montenegro is making significant progress in the EU integration process. She noted that they had familiarised themselves with the work of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro through its official website, emphasizing that the Union's activities serve as an important reference point in strengthening the capacities of their own municipalities. This was, in fact, the very reason for their visit to the Union of Municipalities: to learn from its positive experiences and examples of good practice and, to the extent possible, apply them in their own context, particularly with regard to strengthening local-level decision-making and increasing the involvement of municipalities in decision-making processes. Dragišić stressed that establishing closer cooperation with the Union of Municipalities in the future would be of great importance, both at the expert level and in relation to applying jointly for cross-border cooperation projects.
The meeting was also attended by Milica Radojičićassistant Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, Simona Boškovićsecretary of the Committee for European Integration and International Cooperation of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, as well as Bogdan Vicanović, senior adviser for EU funds and assistance programmes at the Ministry for European Integration and International Cooperation of Republika Srpska.
