Signed Roadmap for Local and Regional Democracy in Montenegro

The Minister of Public Administration, Mr. Marash Dukaj, signed the Roadmap for Local and Regional Democracy with the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Gun Marit Helgesen. This roadmap pertains to the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Montenegro. It formalizes the continuation of cooperation between Montenegro and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to improve the local self-government system. Attending the signing were rapporteurs for Montenegro Cecília Friderics from Hungary, PfE, and Sören Schumacher from Germany, SOC/G/PD, as well as the Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, Mišela Manojlović. The roadmap provides a framework for implementing the recommendations of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, contained in Recommendation 506 (2024), and confirms Montenegro's commitment to further enhancing local autonomy, decentralization, and the partnership between central and local authorities. The law envisages expanding municipal competences in accordance with legal criteria, ensuring appropriate financing models for transferred tasks. It also foresees the establishment of a Council for Local Self-Government as an institutional mechanism for cooperation and dialogue, along with operational thematic networks to facilitate expert collaboration, experience exchange, and coordinated action among government levels. Future activities will focus on sustainable financing of local self-government, strengthening administrative and personnel capacities of municipalities, improving consultative mechanisms, and increasing citizen involvement in creating local policies and decision-making processes. The Congress remains ready to continue cooperation with Montenegro through dialogue, experience sharing, and expert support in implementing the Roadmap. The roadmap serves as a basis for ongoing dialogue with the Congress and monitoring the implementation of recommendations, aiming to develop a functional and sustainable local self-government system based on European principles of local democracy.