Montenegro will soon start implementing the Reform Agenda: 383.5 million euros for a better life for citizens

Montenegro should soon start implementing the Reform Agenda for the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, through which it will receive access to 383.5 million euros and accelerate the country's economic convergence, said Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević at a working breakfast with journalists.

"The reform agenda is a serious instrument not only for Montenegro but also for WB. It is a very financially generous instrument that will give Montenegro access to 383.5 million euros, of which 110 (million euros) are non-refundable and the rest in the form of soft loans. Of the total amount, it is planned that 178.5 million euros will be allocated in the form of budget support, while the remaining 205 million euros will be allocated for the financing of infrastructure projects and implemented through the mechanism of the Western Balkans Investment Framework," said Minister Gorčević and thanked the entire administration for its dedication worked on this document.

She specified that it is planned to allocate 7% of the total amount of funds at the beginning of the implementation of the Growth Plan, and the rest in six half-yearly support tranches, depending on the degree of implementation of the planned reforms. The European Commission is expected to approve the Reform Agenda by the end of this month, and the first payment of funds, in the amount of 29 million euros, could be made by the end of 2024.
"The funds that will be available to Montenegro are conditional on the successful implementation of the reform measures defined in the Reform Agenda, which is why this document is important for the economic and political development of Montenegro, as well as for the acceleration of European integration," said Minister Gorčević.
With the money that Montenegro receives, significant reforms will be implemented in four priority sectors that are essential for achieving stable economic growth, improving the business environment, the rule of law and improving the quality of life of citizens.
"We have planned 32 priority reform measures and clear steps defined as necessary to fulfill the reforms, which also contain indicators of success, as a basis for monitoring progress in the implementation of the measures," explained Gorčević.

The Ministry of Finance is in charge of part of the reforms in the area of private sector development and competitiveness that will be necessary to obtain funds from the EU through the Reform Agenda. As explained by the State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Bojana Bošković, the reforms refer to the adoption of a single regulatory framework that will regulate the supervision of state enterprises, increasing transparency when it comes to public contracts, as well as improving the situation in the field of public procurement.
Namely, the Director General of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Dialogue, Snežana Drobnjak, clarified that the key reforms for improving employability are related to the activation of beneficiaries of material assistance and the activation of women. As she explained, a series of steps will be created to include these two categories in the labor market.
Numerous measures and activities will be implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and will go in several directions - practical outreach, career counseling and the construction of educational infrastructure. As explained by the general director for international cooperation, European integration and EU funds in this Ministry, Marko Vukašinović, work will be done on improving the infrastructure in order to reduce the number of shifts in which classes are organized in schools, as well as on increasing the capacity in kindergartens. The State Secretary in that Ministry, Marijeta Barjaktarović Lanzardi, pointed out that all activities for science and innovation are based on the implementation of the Smart Specialization S3 concept.

Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography Damir Gutić said that a unique inclusive and unified cash transfer related to disability will be established that covers all rights of users, and a minimum package of guaranteed social services and access to their sustainable financing will be identified.

The Minister of Public Administration, MSc Marsh Dukaj, said that the department he heads is in charge of the digitization sector and that special attention will be focused on the implementation of the Digital Wallet, the delivery of the most modern digital public services adapted to users, as well as the establishment of a comprehensive framework for cyber resilience. The development of digital services is also expected, in accordance with the established Plan for the period 2025-2027 and alignment with the Open Data Directive. Finally, the application of the new Law on Information Security, the strengthening of the capacity of the Gov CIRT and the future Agency for Cyber Security is expected, all in accordance with the NIS2 directive.
State Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Biljana Ivanović, spoke about a set of measures that will be implemented through three policies - reform of the energy sector, decarbonization and the use of renewable sources of electricity. These reforms include, among other things, the improvement of legal and strategic documents and policies, as well as a series of measures that will improve the investment environment for the development of renewable sources of electricity and increase energy efficiency.

Minister of Mining, Oil and Gas Admir Šahmanović explained that the adoption of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which will define key policies and measures for achieving new goals by 2030, is of exceptional importance for the successful implementation of energy policy and necessary reforms. The priority measure, the implementation of which needs to be focused on, refers to the provision of conditions for the implementation of a just transition with a special focus on socio-economic aspects.
In the end, what is important for the implementation of the Reform Agenda, as explained by Minister Gorčević, is that the signing and ratification of the Agreement on Accession to the EU Instrument for Reforms and Growth and the Credit Agreement with the EU are expected in the coming period. After that, Montenegro must pass by-laws that will define the system of coordination and implementation of reform measures, and at the same time, action plans for the implementation of reforms in policy areas will be prepared and monitoring and reporting mechanisms will be established on the progress of reform implementation.
The event was organized with the support of the Regional Cooperation for EU Integration (RCEI) project implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.