The Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, Mišela Manojlović, presented the key positions and initiatives of the Union regarding the preparation of the new Law on Local Self-Government and the broader public administration reform at a thematic meeting on local government reform, held as part of the European Commission mission’s visit to Montenegro. The meeting formed part of the broader cooperation process within the Special Group on Public Administration Reform (PAR SG). Discussions focused on the importance of local self-government in the process of closing Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.
Manojlović praised the high level of cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, noting that it had resulted in a number of important reform measures. As one of the key achievements, she highlighted the acceptance of the Union of Municipalities’ initiative to remove the chapter on local civil service and employment relations from the primary law and regulate it through a separate piece of legislation.
She also recalled that, earlier this year, the Minister of Public Administration and his team attended a meeting of the Governing Board of the Union of Municipalities, where numerous proposals concerning the new Law on Local Self-Government Units were presented, in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The Union is now awaiting the final version of the law in order to assess the extent to which those proposals have been incorporated.
Manojlović particularly emphasized the importance of introducing the principle of partnership between local and central authorities in the process of drafting laws and policies that directly affect the functioning of municipalities and the quality of life of citizens.
She pointed to the need for a precise legal definition of mechanisms for protecting the rights of municipalities in cases where the central government infringes upon the right to local self-government, other municipal rights, or the right to adequate financing.
Referring to the frequent political deadlocks affecting the work of local governments, Manojlović stressed that it is necessary to establish legal mechanisms that will ensure the uninterrupted functioning of municipalities even under such circumstances.
The Union of Municipalities also pointed to the need to align the legal provisions governing the dissolution of municipal assemblies and the dismissal of municipal presidents/mayors with the Constitution. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to reconsider the Government’s authority to shorten the mandates of local parliaments.
“It is necessary to restore the full freedom of municipalities to independently organize their internal structures in accordance with the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which was seriously undermined by the 2018 Law on Local Self-Government,” Manojlović stated.
Manojlović pointed out that the financing of local governments is a key issue for meaningful public administration reform. She emphasized that there is a growing trend of systematic violations of both domestic legislation and the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which guarantee adequate funding for the exercise of local responsibilities, particularly in relation to delegated and entrusted functions.
She called for this issue to be addressed, as it directly affects the quality of services that municipalities provide to citizens.
During the meeting, attention was also drawn to the issue of abuse of the Law on Free Access to Information. As Manojlović noted, tens of millions of euros are drained from local budgets each year on this basis. This issue was also highlighted in the European Parliament’s 2024 Report on Montenegro’s progress. According to Manojlović, the Union of Municipalities is insisting on amendments to the legal framework that would prevent such abuses.
Given that the operational conclusions of the Special Group on Public Administration Reform constitute one of the final benchmarks for closing Chapter 23, the meeting was of particular importance for assessing progress and planning the next steps in public administration reform. On behalf of the European Commission, the meeting was attended by Nisida Gjoksi, while the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro was represented by Orlando Fusco, Ana Stanišić Vrbica and Malgorzata Skocinska.
On the Montenegrin side, the meeting was attended by Nina Blažić, the meeting’s co-chair and Acting Director General of the Directorate for Local Self-Government within the Ministry of Public Administration; Snežana Mugoša, Director General of the Directorate for the Local Self-Government System; Marija Hajduković, director general of the Directorate for strategic planning in public administration, international cooperation and IPA funds, as well as Stela Bobot, adviser in the Directorate for strategic planning in public administration, international cooperation and IPA funds.
Representing SIGMA, the meeting was attended by Bianca Brétéché and Monika Kurian.
