The Government of Montenegro, at its 77th session held today, adopted a Proposal for amending the Constitution of Montenegro, the Government announced.
The statement added that the session was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Defense, Fight against Crime and Internal Policy Aleksa Bečić.
The government said that as part of the implementation of the Reform Agenda of Montenegro 2024-2027 for the EU Instrument for Reforms and Growth, which envisages amending the Constitution by June 2025, the proposed change relates to the provisions of Amendments VIII and IX to the Constitution of Montenegro, which regulate:
1. composition of the Judicial Council, as follows: Amendment VIII;
2. decision-making by the Minister of Justice in proceedings concerning the disciplinary liability of judges, namely: Amendment IX, paragraph 3.
"The proposal is aligned with the EU acquis and European standards on the independence, accountability, integrity, impartiality and professionalism of the judiciary and prosecution, including addressing existing recommendations of the European Commission, the opinions of the Venice Commission and the recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO). The discussion assessed the need to change the aforementioned constitutional provisions regarding the composition of the Judicial Council as justified, namely that the majority should be composed of judges elected by all judges, that the Minister of Justice should not be a member of the Judicial Council, and that members of the Judicial Council who are not judges should be elected on the basis of their professional references and integrity, based on objective and measurable criteria in order to fully contribute to the work and exercise of the constitutional and legal competences of the Judicial Council," the statement states.
As emphasized, the Government has recognized the establishment of an independent, professional and reliable judiciary as a strategically important area in the further process of European integration of Montenegro, because only an independent judiciary can be considered the ultimate and most important guarantor of the democratic functioning of institutions at the national, European and international levels and the guarantor of legal security for citizens.
The Government said that the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Tax Advisors has been approved.
"In 2018, Montenegro joined the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, an international body that has taken a leading role in the field of developing a global standard for the exchange of information for tax purposes, namely: exchange of information on request (EOIR) and automatic exchange of financial account information (AEOI). As a member of this body, Montenegro has committed to implementing the aforementioned standards within its legislation, as well as to ensuring their adequate application in practice. To this end, a norm has been proposed according to which a tax advisor will be obliged to submit, at the request of the tax authority, all information for the purposes of taxation and exchange of information with the competent authority of a member state of the European Union or another state, or territory of the state. Additionally, punitive measures have been proposed for tax advisors who act contrary to the duties prescribed by this law," the statement reads.
The Government has adopted a Regulation amending the Regulation on limit values for emissions of pollutants into the air from stationary sources.
"The goal achieved by adopting the Regulation is the consistent application of control of air pollutant emissions in accordance with the strategic commitments of the National Sustainable Development Strategy until 2030 and the objectives of the Reform Agenda. The amendments to the Regulation aim to eliminate legal uncertainty, i.e. overcome the legal gap that arose from the imprecise definition of the transitional final provisions of the Regulation on emission limit values from combustion plants and the method of calculating emission limit values for plants using multiple types of fuel ("Official Gazette of Montenegro, No. 129/21)," the Government said.
The Government adopted the Proposal on the transfer of real estate for use without compensation to the Ministry of Culture and Media.
"In this context, the Government has given its consent to the Ministry of Culture and Media for the use of the prison building in the Old Town of Kotor, free of charge, for a period of 5 years, with the possibility of extension, and accepted the Agreement on the Use of Real Estate Free of Charge. The reconstruction of this building, which is protected as an individual cultural asset, was completed in July 2021, and the Creative Hub was established in the facility, the space of which is intended for the residence and work of artists and the development of creative industries. The project was financed from EU Interreg IPA CBC Italy - Albania - Montenegro funds and from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Media," the statement reads.
The Education Reform Strategy 2025-2035 and the Action Plan for the period 2025-2026 have been adopted.
"The process of developing a comprehensive Education Reform Strategy 2025-2035 was initiated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and UNICEF and supported by UNICEF and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro. It is part of a two-year joint project entitled Quality Education for All Children of Montenegro, which was formally launched in January 2024. The vision of the Strategy is that by 2035, the education system in Montenegro will focus on a student-centred approach, emphasizing their well-being, motivation and individual needs. Schools will use innovative and interactive teaching methods that develop skills essential for personal development and contribution to society. Educational institutions will be inclusive and stimulating, providing a safe space for learning and a high level of achievement. Within school life, cooperation will be key, with the active participation of parents and the community. Teachers and educators will be motivated, competent and free from unnecessary administrative tasks, and their work will be supported by continuous education and innovation. "The education system will be flexible, with strong inter-institutional and international cooperation," the government said.
The statement states that the Strategy is aligned with European education policies, including the Sustainable Development Goals, EU education goals, inclusion of vulnerable groups and development of socio-emotional skills, and the Government stated that the system will be financed efficiently and improved in the long term, with the aim of achieving high quality education and aligning it with modern trends, including the digital and green transition.
The Government said that the Strategy has four strategic goals:
1 – The education system provides quality, accessible and equitable education that encourages the holistic development of all children and adolescents and is resilient to challenges and risks;
2 – All employees in educational institutions equally and fully support the quality and equity of education, develop all key competencies for lifelong learning and skills of students, and have positive attitudes and high expectations towards all children and young people;
3 – Improving quality and equity in the education system through improved governance and financing, with an emphasis on the collection and use of evidence and participation in the decision-making process;
4 – Educational infrastructure and modern teaching aids support modern, high-quality, fair and safe education and upbringing for all children and youth.
The Government adopted the Proposal on the withdrawal from the parliamentary procedure of the Amendments of the Government of Montenegro to the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, which were determined at the session held on 27 March 2025, taking into account that a new Proposal for amendments to the same articles of the Proposal for the Law has been determined, which have been agreed with the European Commission.
"The new amendments more precisely define the conditions that must be met by a person appointed as the head of an administrative body, as well as persons performing tasks in the category of senior management personnel. Considering the changes to the education system, the proposed amendments to this law enable the smooth functioning of the system, in such a way that in addition to already acquired diplomas with a VII1 level of educational qualification, a VI level of educational qualification is also prescribed for management positions, along with a greater number of years of work experience in management positions," the Government said.
They added that also, by prescribing two alternative criteria, greater inclusiveness and flexibility are ensured in recognizing the professional and managerial potential of candidates, while maintaining a high standard of overall work experience.
"The conditions for expert and managerial staff are also defined, which provide the necessary structure for performing managerial and inspection tasks in the state administration. Through clear criteria for the level of educational qualifications and work experience, the proposed amendments enable high-quality selection of personnel and contribute to the improvement of the merit system in public administration, reducing the possibility of appointing inadequate candidates to key positions. Also, the proposed amendment will enable positions in the expert staff category to be available to all persons with at least a VI level of educational qualification, as well as a higher level of educational qualification, and not only to persons with exclusively a VI level of educational qualification," the Government statement reads.
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