Montenegro's Cabinet meeting

Podgorica, Montenegro (19 June 2014) – At today’s session, the Government of Montenegro approved the Bill on the budget account for 2013. Euro-Atlantic integration process challenges and the effects of the global economic crisis required a serious approach to structural policies and reforms in all fields recognised as preconditions for overcoming the crisis and creating competitive system which will provide sustainable development and economic growth. Montenegro managed to reverse the trend of the economic growth and to improve its public finance by using the fiscal adjustment measures. Comparing to 2012, the budget income of Montenegro regained the pre-crisis trend growth. The significant progress was in the fields of fiscal consolidation, payment of outstanding tax receivables and reduction of grey economy.

The Government also prepared the Bill on Cooperatives as a part of the legislation reform process within the agricultural policy. The new law will contribute to the development of rural areas and it is aimed at linking up family households and small producers, increasing the production level and agricultural households’ income, as well as fostering organised market approach and protection of common interests. The benefits from cooperatives could be the improved jointly organised production process, processing and sale, and also better use of the available resources, production potentials and the market’s infrastructure.

According to the previous session’s conclusions, the meeting discussed the information on providing funds for the implementation of the Law on the Electoral Register and amendments to the Law on the Election of Councillors and MPs, proposed by the Minister of the Interior. On that occasion, the Government adopted the joint proposal of minsters of the interior and finance to provide funds worth EUR 750 000 for the implementation of the Law on the Electoral Register.

Discussing the Law on the Election of Councillors and MPs, the Government tasked the Ministry of Finance to submit the information regarding the provision of EUR 1.4 in the context of respecting the estimated deadlines. The Parliament will be in charged to discuss the possible solutions, including the extension of deadlines for the implementation of this law.

The Cabinet reached a decision on the establishment of the Faculty for the Montenegrin language and Literature based in the Old Capital of Cetinje. A new four-year programme is designed to provide socially reasonable and useful competences, as well as universal knowledge of the philology. Having in mind that the Montenegrin language is an official language in Montenegro, the Government emphasised the need for providing teaching stuff in this area.