Press release from 85th Cabinet session

Podgorica, Montenegro (12 July 2018) -- At today's 85th session, the Montenegrin Cabinet passed the Draft Law on Public Sector Management and Internal Control. The discussion emphasised that the proposed solutions will provide more efficient management and establishment of internal controls in the public sector, in order to ensure that public funds - national and EU funds - are managed in a proper, economical, efficient, effective and transparent way. The law is in line with the Sigma and European Commission’s recommendations on governance, internal control, managerial accountability, establishment of a framework for reporting irregularities and suspected fraud in the management of national funds, and the new International Professional Practices Framework of Internal Auditing.

Due to changes in the organisation of the work of the Government, the following decisions were adopted: Decision Amending the Decision on the Establishment of the Council for NATO and the Decision Amending the Decision on the Establishment of the Public Administration Reform Council. Instead of the Minister of European Affairs, the Minister of Public Administration will become a member of the Council for NATO, and the composition of the Public Administration Reform Council is changed in a way that the Minister of European Affairs is replaced by the Chief Negotiator for Negotiations on Accession of Montenegro to the European Union.

The Government also amended the Decision on determination the ports according to the purpose and the Decision on the determination of ports by type of maritime transport. In addition, the newly constructed Luštica Bay port in Tivat is designated as a port of nautical tourism - a marina, open to inland maritime traffic.

Today’s session passed the Information on the proposed Multi-Year Agreement on the Implementation of the Technical Support Project between the Emilia Romagna Region in Italy and the Office for European Integration, within the Interreg V-B Adriatic-Ionian Transnational Cooperation Programe (ADRION) for the period 2014-2020. The Interreg V-B Adriatic-Ionian programme aims to act as a policy maker and innovator of governance through fostering European integration between partner countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia), more efficient use of natural, cultural and human resources of the Adriatic and Ionian coastal areas and the improvement of economic, social and territorial cohesion in the programme area. In particular, the program is focused on fostering innovation, preserving the environment, improving connectivity and supporting the management of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR).

Furthermore, the Cabinet passed the Information on the proposed Grant Agreement for the technical support project between the South Provence Region - the Alps - Côte d'Azur France and the Office for European Integration, within the Interreg V- B Mediterranean Transnational Cooperation Program for the period 2014-2020. The cooperation programme is one of the financial instruments for implementing EU cohesion policy and achieving the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy - smart, sustainable and comprehensive growth that needs to be achieved by focusing on more efficient investment in education, research and innovation, low-carbon economy, creating new jobs and poverty reduction.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE of the GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO