Cabinet session: Environment, public adminstration reform, defence, economy

Podgorica, Montenegro (29 July 2016) – At yesterday's session, the Montenegrin Cabinet approved the National Strategy for transposition, implementation and enforcement of the acquis in the field of environment and climate change. This is a strategic document for the EU accession process, as well as for the opening of the Chapter 27, one of the most demanding in the negotiating process. The Strategy identifies measures relating to the transposition, implementation and strengthening of administrative capacity and better organisation of relevant institutions, with special emphasis on the need to strengthen domestic legislation. It also defines obligations and coordination of activities of state bodies and local authorities responsible for environmental protection in the process of harmonising national legislation with that the EU. In line with the EU recommendations, special attention is paid to harmonisation in the sectors of water quality, waste management, nature protection and climate change.

The Cabinet also adopted the Draft Strategy of Public Administration Reform in Montenegro for the period 2016 - 2020. The main objective of reforms is to create an efficient and service-oriented administration, which is characterised by the growth of public confidence in its work. The specific objectives of the reform are: the establishment of e-government portal as a single point of access to electronic services, improving control over the legality and effectiveness of public administration bodies, effective exercise of the right to free access to information and improving effectiveness, efficiency and citizen satisfaction with quality of services. The Prime Minister recalled that it had earlier stated that the reform of the public administration is one of the most important structural reforms in Montenegro. Today's public administration is not able to respond to what is an imperative of national policy, namely the economic growth, and, therefore, this issue will be in the forefront of the next government, concluded the Prime Minister.

The session approved the Draft Law Amending the Law on Defence. The main reasons for the planned modifications are: harmonisation of the legislation in order to meet the Euro-Atlantic agenda, health care in the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Montenegro, extending the jurisdiction of the Defence and Security Council and the Ministry of Defense, extending competence in the field of military intelligence, counterintelligence and security activities in the field of defence, prescribing standards relating to military and diplomatic representatives and changes in the jurisdiction of the organisational unit of the Ministry of Defence in charge of inspection activities. Regarding the agenda item, Minister Goran Danilović singled out his opinion.

The Government adopted yesterday the Guidelines of macroeconomic and fiscal policy for the period 2016-2019. The strategic objective of socio-economic development of Montenegro is to increase the quality of life of every individual. Model of economic growth in the coming period will not be changed, and for the most part will be based on foreign direct investments. Therefore, the focus of economic policy is to increase the competitiveness of the economy, with the implementation of structural reforms and infrastructure development aimed at creating conditions for the growth of domestic and foreign investment. This document provides for medium-term goals of economic and fiscal policies, medium-term macroeconomic and fiscal framework, based on which spending limits are determined, which are binding for 2017 and indicative for the next medium-term period. While concluding this item of this agenda, Minister Goran Danilović singled out his opinion.

Yesterday's session adopted the Information on tax debt as at 7 July 2016. On that occasion, the Government tasked the authorities in charge to deliverproposed measures to the Government to systematically address the issue of the tax debt and take all legal actions to prevent its further growth.

The Government adopted the Information on the implementation of the obligations defined by agreements on rescheduling tax debt of municipalities, and agreements on the regulation of mutual relations between the State and municipalities on the basis of credit debt with the state guarantee. The discussion emphasised that the Government will insist on strict enforcement of the agreements, including the activation of the cancellation clause in the event of failure to fulfil obligations.

The Cabinet adopted the Decision on long-term energy balance of Montenegro for the period 2017 - 2019, including: Electricity Balance Sheet, Coal Balance Sheet and Petroleum Products Balance Sheet, and measures for its implementation. When deciding on this item, Deputy Prime Minister Milorad Vujović singled out his opinion.

The Government adopted the Decision on the method, procedure and criteria for selection of bidders to prepare and implement a special programme of investment, through which a person may be granted the Montenegrin citizenship. Ministers, Goran Danilović and Raško Konjević, singled out their opinions with regard to the Decision.

As part of the reform of the pharmaceutical sector, the Government adopted the Regulation on the criteria for placement or removal of drugs from the List of medicines, which provides permanent availability of necessary drugs to citizens of Montenegro. Adoption of the new Lists of medicines, with precise criteria and limits for each drug in line with international pharmacotherapeutic and pharmacoeconomic guidelines, and economic power of Montenegro, is one of the priorities of pharmaceutical policy defined by the Master Development Plan of Montenegro by 2020.

The Cabinet also adopted the Regulation on Amending the Regulation on the criteria for determining maximum prices of medicines.

The Government adopted the Information on the occurrence of contagious lumpy skin disease of cattle and allocated EUR 432.800 from current budget reserve for the implementation of measures to prevent spreading of the disease.

Within personnel issues, the Government appointed Snežana Radović Acting Director General of the Directorate-General for Bilateral Affairs, Jelena Burzan Acting Director General at the Directorate General for Multilateral Affairs, Ana Vukadinović Acting General Director of the General Directorate for Economic Diplomacy and Cultural cooperation, Ivana Glišević Acting General Director of the Directorate -General for Coordination of EU assistance programmes and Miodrag Radović Acting Director General of the Directorate-General for European Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

The Government revoked Lambertus Vos from the duty of Honorary Consul of Montenegro in the Kingdom of the Netherlands with headquarters in Maastricht, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands informed Montenegro that his business activities violated the Dutch regulations and that was deprived of liberty.

In the context of current issues, the Government adopted opinions on several amendments to draft laws that are in parliamentary procedure, while Deputy Prime Minister Milorad Vujović and ministers, Raško Konjević and Goran Danilović, singled their opinions.