The Government of Montenegro today adopted the Draft Law on Local Self-Government, which is in line with European decentralization standards and responds to the real needs and situation in the country, announced the Minister of Public Administration, Maraš Dukaj.
He said that, after more than three years of continuous dialogue, they have reached the text of the Law that is ripe for consideration in the Parliament of Montenegro.
"We have prepared a law that is aligned with European decentralization standards and created a model that meets the real needs and situation in Montenegro," Dukaj said at a press conference after the Government session.
As announced by the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), he said that the essence of the reform is to give local communities greater responsibility, but also a greater opportunity to decide on their own development.
"This is not just an administrative reform. This is a new development policy for Montenegro, in which municipalities are given a stronger role in improving their communities, developing local potential and being directly accountable to citizens for the results they achieve," Dukaj emphasized.
As stated in the MPA statement, the Bill represents much more than a normative change.
"It lays the foundations for a new model of state governance - a model in which local governments are not just executors of decisions from the center, but strong development partners, responsible for the quality of life of citizens and capable of independently managing their potential," the statement says.
As it is added, the essence of the reform is clear - the state must be closer to citizens, and local self-government must be more efficient, responsible and functional.
"This normative framework is fully aligned with Montenegro's priorities in the framework of negotiations with the European Union, especially in the areas of decentralization, professionalization of public administration, digitalization and strengthening the transparency of institutions," said the MPA.
They pointed out that the law was prepared based on detailed analyses of the existing local self-government system, which showed that decades of centralization, uneven capacities of municipalities, and insufficient coordination between the state and local levels are serious obstacles to the balanced development of the country.
"The process of drafting the Law also incorporated recommendations from domestic and international partners, including the European Commission and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, giving this reform document a strong European dimension," the statement said.
The MPA announced that the Draft Law brings a number of key systemic innovations related to strengthening the principles of decentralization and subsidiarity through decision-making at the level closest to citizens, as well as the introduction of the city as a unit of local self-government.
The draft law also envisages creating conditions for asymmetric decentralization and the assumption of broader responsibilities by local governments that have the capacity to do so, strengthening cooperation and solidarity between municipalities, as well as improving strategic planning, reporting and analytical monitoring of the work of local governments.
The MPA said that the Proposal envisages stronger citizen involvement in decision-making through citizen initiatives, citizens' assemblies, public hearings and electronic participation.
According to them, the digital transformation of local self-government and the establishment of an information system for monitoring the work of municipalities, new mechanisms for cooperation between the state and local levels of government, including the Council for Local Self-Government and thematic networks, as well as the establishment of European integration services in local self-governments, are also envisaged.
"This Law, for the first time, systematically opens up space for local governments that have development potential to take greater responsibility for their own development, which represents a fundamental change to the current governance model," the statement says.
Dukaj said that decentralization does not weaken the state, but rather strengthens local communities and makes the state a more efficient service to citizens.
"This reform does not just change the institutional framework - but the way the state functions in relation to citizens," concluded Dukaj.
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