Today in Plav, the First Meeting of the Presidents of Municipal Assemblies of Montenegro was held, at the initiative of the President of the Assembly of the Capital City and the Assembly of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro. Jelene Borovinić Bojović, as part of the project ‘Municipalities for the EU’, supported by the European Union, it was emphasized on that occasion that strong local self-governments are the foundation of successful European integration, the city administration announced.
The gathering was formally opened by the President of the Municipal Assembly of Plav Alen Balić, Jelena Borovinić Bojović and the head of the Cooperation Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro Bernar Brune.
“Local parliaments play a key role in the European integration process because more than 70 percent of European legislation and laws are implemented at the local government level. European integration will not be completed with a signature in Brussels. It is completed in schools, kindergartens, health centres, local administrations, municipal budgets, and in the relationship towards citizens,” emphasized Jelena Borovinić Bojović.
Jelena Borovinić Bojović recalled the First Conference of the Presidents of Municipal Assemblies of Montenegro, which she initiated in June, when the Declaration on the Networking of Local Parliaments was adopted, and emphasized that today’s meeting represents the final transition from an initiative to an operational and institutional level of cooperation.
“Today’s gathering is proof that we have institutionally matured to cooperate without vanity or divisions, and that Montenegro’s European path has a strong foundation at the local level,” the President emphasized.
At the meeting, a Decision was adopted on the establishment of the Network of Presidents and Secretaries of Municipal Assemblies of Montenegro. Jelena Borovinić Bojović, Alen Balić, and Miljan Marković were elected as members of the Network’s Presidency, while Tivat will host the next meeting of the Network. The gathering was attended by presidents of local parliaments, secretaries, and advisers from several Montenegrin municipalities, Mišela Manojlović, as well as representatives of the “Municipalities for the EU” project.
