The 48th Cabinet session – 26 November 2021

The Montenegrin Cabinet, at its 48th session held on 26 November 2021, chaired by Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić, adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Transport of Dangerous Goods. The normative regulation and improvement of the transport of dangerous goods is another step towards harmonisation with EU policy in this area, which is in the interest of the state, because it strengthens the responsibility of all entities in the transport of dangerous goods and creates conditions for their direct engagement in all conditions.

The Updated Personnel Plan of the state administration bodies and services of the Government of Montenegro for 2021 has been adopted.

The Cabinet adopted decisions on the formation of working groups for the preparation and conduct of negotiations on Montenegro's accession to the European Union relating to Chapter 11 - Agriculture and Rural Development, Chapter 12 - Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy and Chapter 13 - Fisheries. The composition of the working groups was adjusted to the personnel changes that occurred after the formation of the new Government, as well as the circumstances that arose after the adoption of the New Enlargement Methodology and the need to fully respond to the remaining obligations from the negotiation process.

The Decision on the formation of the Council for Monitoring the Implementation of the Judicial Reform Strategy 2019-2022 was adopted. The tasks of the Council are, among other things, organising and synchronising the activities of the competent institutions in the implementation of the activities envisaged by the Judicial Reform Strategy 2019-2022 and the Action Plan, monitoring the priorities, dynamics and deadlines for implementation, evaluation of the results achieved in the implementation of the Action Plan, as well as evaluation of the rationalisation of spending budget funds and funds from other sources for the implementation of the Action Plan.

The Cabinet adopted the Action Plan for 2021 for the implementation of the Public Information Strategy on Montenegro's accession to the EU 2019-2022 and adopted the Report on the implementation of the Action Plan in 2020.

The National Air Transport Facilitation Programme has been adopted. The main goal of the Programme is to simplify procedures and documentation related to the movement of aircraft, crew, passengers, goods, cargo and mail in a way to speed up airport procedures and reduce the number of documents by using information technology as much as possible, while achieving certain compliance with international and national regulations.

The Cabinet adopted the Information of the National Council for the Fight against High-Level Corruption regarding the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information and the Draft Law on Protection of Trade Secret. The Information recommends that the Government considers possibilities for further improvement of the provisions of the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information and the provisions of the Draft Law on Protection of Trade Secret, with the aim of specifying restrictions related to trade, tax and customs secrets, as well as intellectual property, which can significantly impede the work of investigative journalists and NGOs and public participation in the fight against corruption. Accepting the Council's recommendation, the Cabinet tasked the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development, to conduct additional consultations with representatives of the NGO sector and other stakeholders, in order to improve the provisions of the draft laws.

The Information on Amendment 1 of the Financial Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the European Commission on the Annual Action Programme for Montenegro for 2019 was adopted, with the Proposal of Amendment 1 to the Agreement. The goal of this programme is to provide support to Montenegro in dealing with the consequences of the epidemic through budget for the most vulnerable social and economic groups.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on the need to conclude the Agreement between the European Union and Montenegro on the participation of Montenegro in the Creative Europe Programme (2021-2027) and accepted the text of the Agreement. Creative Europe is the most important European fund for financial support in culture and promotion of cooperation between cultural institutions and organisations across Europe, and thus an opportunity for Montenegrin cultural institutions, national and local, NGOs and other cultural organisations to receive financial support from the European Union for the implementation of international cultural cooperation projects. The aim of the Creative Europe programme is to provide direct financial support to institutions and organisations engaged in cultural, creative and audiovisual activities in the form of non-refundable grants. Montenegro participated in the previous financial perspective of the programme, thus becoming a full member of the most important EU fund for support of projects in the field of culture.

The Information on the conclusion of the International Agreement between the European Union and Montenegro on the participation of Montenegro in the programme "Horizon Europe" - Framework Programme for Research and Innovation was adopted and the text of the Agreement was accepted. It is by far the most ambitious framework programme for research and innovation in Europe and the largest transnational programme of its kind in the world with a budget of 95.5 billion euros. Participation in the Horizon Europe programme is a key element of Chapter 25 - Science and Research. The agreement specifies the conditions for participation in the programme, which will give Montenegro the status of an associated country. Institutions from Montenegro are allowed to apply for funding for research and innovation projects, connect research teams from several countries, increase the mobility of researchers, encourage scientific cooperation of researchers from the same or related fields of research, as well as businesses from the EU and the world. Researchers from Montenegro will be able to work in research centers and institutes in the EU, use modern laboratories and technologies, exchange knowledge and experiences through joint research projects.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on the organisation of the final events of the Montenegrin presidency of the Central European Initiative (CEI) - the Summit of the Prime Ministers and the Committee of National Coordinators. Within the two-year presidency of the Initiative, Montenegro will host the final events: the Summit of the Prime Ministers of the CEI Member States and the meeting of the Committee of National Coordinators of the CEI. The host of the Summit is the Prime Minister of Montenegro, and the discussion will be dedicated to the sustainable development of the region and the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries. It was pointed out that the Summit will be an opportunity to reaffirm the important role of regional organisations and coordinated multilateral action to ensure the region's socio-economic recovery.

The Cabinet discussed the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro, which was submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro by MP Marko Milačić. In this regard, the Cabinet concluded that it should submit to the Parliament of Montenegro an Opinion in which the reasons for amending the Criminal Code for better protection of journalists and other officials were assessed as justified.