Press release from 16th Cabinet session

The Montenegrin Cabinet, at its 16th session held on 26 March 2021, chaired by Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić, adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. The proposed amendments were drafted in order to harmonize the law with the Draft Law on Internal Affairs. The Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, among other things, regulates the operational independence and autonomy in the work of the financial intelligence unit, and the special position of its head, which represents the standards it must meet as a member of the EGMONT group.

Considering that the Draft Law on Internal Affairs stipulates that the Police becomes an organisational unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is also the main novelty that the financial-intelligence unit becomes an integral part of the Ministry, since it is the same organisational unit of the Police. Accordingly, changes are envisaged when it comes to decision makers, in the sense that it will no longer be the Director of the Police but the Minister of the Interior. Also, it is envisaged that the financial-intelligence unit will be a special unit in the budget of Montenegro, as well as that its head will independently manage the budget. In order to preserve the operability and independence of this unit required by international standards in the field of prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, it is prescribed that the manner of using and disposing of its material and technical means will be regulated by an act of the Ministry of the Interior.

The Decree on Amendments to the Decree on the Organisation and Manner of Work of the State Administration was adopted. In accordance with the Law on Cooperation of Montenegro with Diaspora - Emigrants, the name of the Directorate for Diaspora has been changed to: Directorate for Cooperation with Diaspora - Emigrants. Also, a new jurisdiction of the Administration to coordinate and support the diaspora in the integration processes of Montenegro, through preparation for EU accession, is prescribed. The Decree specifies the tasks that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs performs in the field of cooperation with the diaspora - emigrants from Montenegro and their organisations.

The Cabinet adopted the Decision on approving the payment of funds to the Limited Liability Company for the transport of passengers and goods in air transport "ToMontenegro". On that occasion, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare was instructed to pay the amount of EUR one million to the account of the Company, which increases the capital of the Company to EUR 20 million.

The Decision on the formation of the NATO Council was made. It is prescribed that the President of the Council is the Prime Minister, and the Deputy President is the Deputy Prime Minister. The tasks of the Council are to consider, propose and coordinate political, military, legal, financial and other professional activities of the state bodies of Montenegro as NATO member.

The Cabinet also adopted a Decision on the Council for the Rights of the Child, which is one of the key national mechanisms for exercising the rights of the child. The Council will base its work on establishing and creating policies aimed at children and young people. By submitting initiatives, and providing expert opinions and proposals, the Council will contribute to the promotion, prevention and protection of the rights of the child. The Decision stipulates that the President of the Council is the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Decision on amending the Decision on the National Council against High-Level Corruption was adopted, which, in the work of permanent and occasional working groups of that body, enables the participation of experts and representatives of domestic or international organisations or institutions that are not members of the Council.

The Cabinet also adopted the Decision on Amendments to the Decision on the Council for Cooperation between State Administration Bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations. Changes to the Decision were necessary in order to comply with the Decree on the organisation and manner of work of the state administration, and in order to create the conditions for the adoption of amendments to the Decision on the appointment of this body. This will enable the continuation of the Council's competences in giving opinions on draft regulations, i.e. strategic and other documents related to the work and development of non-governmental organisations in Montenegro, in order to improve the stimulating environment for non-governmental organisations. For the purpose of transparency and promotion of the work of the Council, the amendments prescribe the obligation to publish the materials discussed by the Council. Also, in order to ensure detailed and high-quality discussion of the topics covered by the Council, the amendments to the Decision stipulate that persons who are not members of the Council, as well as representatives of minority groups may attend the sessions when considering issues related to a particular group, functioning and development of their associations.

The Report on the Public Debt of Montenegro as of 31 December 2020 was adopted.

Total public debt of Montenegro, as of 31.12.2020 amounts to EUR 4,408.95 million, or 105.15 percent of the preliminary GDP, estimated at EUR 4,193.2 million.

Taking into account the deposits of the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare (including 38,477 ounces of gold), which, at the end of 2020, amounted to EUR 872.43 million, the net public debt of Montenegro, as of 31.12.2020 amounts to EUR 3,536.52 million, or 84.34 percent of GDP.

The Cabinet adopted the Programme for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas of Montenegro within IPARD II - 2014-2020 version 1.3. The goal of the Programme is to prepare Montenegrin farmers for EU accession by using the funds for this area as much as possible, which will result in improving product quality, increasing production volume, greater competitiveness and achieving European food safety standards in primary and processing sector. Since the implementation of the IPARD II programme started in 2018, and since EUR 12,740,654 have already been allocated for its implementation in a period of five years, the proposed changes related to technical corrections do not have an additional impact on the budget. The programme has allocated a total of EUR 51,740,654 in non-refundable support to agricultural producers, of which the EU contribution amounts to EUR 39 million or 75 percent.

The Information on the results of the conducted analysis of the legislative framework and court practice related to Montenegrin citizenship was adopted. The Information presents the key findings arising from the analysis of the legislative framework and case law conducted by the Ministry of the Interior to address the issue of acquiring Montenegrin citizenship, which this Government has set as one of the goals, i.e. to facilitate admission to Montenegrin citizenship, which will not contradict some basic postulates, but will not neglect the need to resolve the status of a certain category of persons.

The Cabinet is acquainted with the results of the conducted analysis, in order to find the optimal solution that will, above all, characterize the attribute of fairness and non-selectivity. Since the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship regulates that the Decision on Criteria for Determining the Conditions for Acquiring Montenegrin Citizenship by Admission precisely prescribes these criteria, it is pointed out that a specific provision is problematic from the aspect of its application in practice and it is proposed to amend the Decision, which implies that the condition of uninterrupted residence is defined in such a way that the period of temporary residence is included in it, in addition to the permanent residence obtained on the basis of this temporary residence. It is estimated that the proposed change would solve the status of a large number of citizens who live, earn money, pay taxes, and who have tied their lives to this country, and due to such defined conditions have not yet managed to acquire Montenegrin citizenship.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on the planned amendments to the Law on Registration of Residence and Temporary Residence. This Information presents the key findings arising from the analysis of the legislative framework, which have the ultimate goal of regulating the voter list and restoring citizens' trust in the electoral process. On that occasion, the Ministry of the Interior drafted the Law on Amendments to the Law on Registration of Residence and Temporary Residence, which will be sent for public discussion. It is pointed out that the proposed amendments to the Law were caused by the fact that only a regulated residence means an accurate and precise voter list. Namely, the Constitution of Montenegro, Article 45, stipulates that the right to vote and to be elected has a citizen of Montenegro aged 18 years and has at least two years of residence in Montenegro.

As one of the key problems, which is also a source of distrust in the electoral process itself, was stated the fact that the right to vote is used by Montenegrin citizens who essentially have a fictitious residence, i.e. registered and never deregistered residence in Montenegro, and de facto live, earn, i.e. live abroad with the intention to stay there, as well as that these persons have no obligation to deregister their residence, but it is left as a possibility prescribed by the Law on Registration of Residence and Temporary Residence. The Ministry of the Interior formed a working group to draft amendments to this law and proceeded to draft the act itself, which changed the possibility of deregistration of residence into an obligation. Also, in order to create a sustainable solution, and complete this legislative unit, other interventions on the text of the current Law have been proposed.

Information on the allocation of assistance to the media in accordance with the economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was adopted. At the suggestion of the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, the Cabinet decided to grant aid to the media in order to overcome the economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and opted for the first group of media aid in the amount of EUR 150,000: EUR 120,000 for print media and EUR 30,000 for portals. The assistance will be realised through a public competition of the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, which will be announced soon. The competition will focus on the production of content of public interest in the daily print media and on portals related to the coronavirus vaccination process, as well as epidemiological measures.

Having in mind the importance of the media in the current epidemiological situation, as well as the need for their functioning not to be jeopardized, it was recognised that, in addition to general measures of the Government of Montenegro relating to liquidity, and companies that are founders of Montenegrin media, additional measures need to be taken to ensure the sustainability of the media according to budgetary possibilities. The Government of Montenegro took into account the fact that due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, almost all media in Montenegro function with difficulties and uncertain degree of sustainability, as well as reduced volume of advertising, newspaper circulation decline, etc. Also, it was recognised that timely and reliable information related to the nature and degree of endangerment of public health, and full information of citizens about recommendations and measures in the fight against coronavirus, are extremely important activities carried out by the media in the public interest. In this way, the Government will, through these additional measures related to the media, ensure their sustainability, and thus support information to the public at this challenging moment for our society as a whole.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on the Draft Decision on the National Investment Commission. In accordance with the organisational changes in the composition of the Government, the Decision on the National Investment Commission was adopted, which will be headed by the Prime Minister. The essential role of the National Investment Commission is to systematically monitor and plan investments in infrastructure in areas that are subject to the support of the Western Balkans Investment Framework, i.e. the sectors of transport, energy, environmental protection, social activities and digital infrastructure. The National Investment Commission accomplishes this task by adopting a methodology and establishing a Unified List of Priority Infrastructure Projects.

Information on activities based on Montenegro's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) was adopted.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on the Work Plan for 2021 within the Programme of Cooperation between the Government of Montenegro and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and accepted the Work Plan. The main components of the Plan, in accordance with the five-year Cooperation Programme between the Government of Montenegro and UNICEF, are social and child protection, high-quality education and empowerment of adolescents, as well as monitoring the state of children's rights and access to justice.

The Information on the conclusion of the Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of France on the activities of the French Development Agency, the Institution "Proparco" and "Expertise France" in Montenegro was adopted and the text of the Agreement was accepted.

The Cabinet adopted the Report on the road traffic safety for 2020. The Report states that a total of 4,592 traffic accidents were registered on the roads in Montenegro last year, which is a decrease of 1,618 traffic accidents or 26.1 percent compared to 2019 (6,210). There were 3,102 traffic accidents which resulted in material damage, which compared to 2019 (4,286) represents a decrease of 1,184, or 27.6 percent. There were 1,490 traffic accidents with casualties or, compared to 2019 (1,924), 434 fewer traffic accidents, or 22.6 percent less. Of that number, there were 42 accidents with fatalities, compared to 2019 (45) less by 3 traffic accidents, or 6.7 percent, while the number of accidents with injuries was 1,448. Compared to 2019 (1,879), that is a decrease of 431 traffic accidents, or 22.9 percent.

The Report on the Implementation of the Law on Public Assemblies and Public Events for 2020 was adopted. The Report also contains a review of the Ministry of the Interior on the data and the actions of the Police Directorate in the previous year related to public gatherings and public events. Key in this segment is the fact that in the reporting period, both public perception and general impression, testify to a selective action of the Police Directorate in relation to (not) allowing public gatherings, securing public gatherings, as well as different treatment in relation to the obligation to register certain public gatherings. It was assessed that this is a cause for concern, and, consequently, requires the need to act, primarily by the Ministry of the Interior, through all the mechanisms provided by law. The end result that is sought is full respect for human rights and freedoms, or in this case respect for the right to freedom of public assembly.

The Cabinet adopted the Report on the Work of the Complaints Commission for 2020.

The Report on the Implementation of the Annual Plan of Official Statistics for 2020 was also adopted. The Report contains an overview of the implementation of planned statistical surveys, by statistical areas, defined by the Annual Plan of Official Statistics for 2020. The Report states that 208 or 99 percent of statistical surveys defined by the Annual Plan were carried out last year. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, three statistical surveys were not carried out, within the competence of the Statistical Office, the Public Health Institute of Montenegro and the Ministry of Science.

The Cabinet, among other things, adopted the Rulebook on the internal organisation and systematisation of the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights.