Statement from the 135th session of the Government of Montenegro

The unemployment rate stands at 7.84%, the lowest since the independence renewal, while the average net salary has reached 1,012 euros, with a real growth of about 40% over five years, placing Montenegro among the most dynamic economies compared to the region and the EU. The adoption of this law continues the alignment of Montenegrin legislation with EU directives and international standards in the field of environmental noise protection, contributing to the fulfillment of obligations from Chapter 27 – Environment and Climate Change. The report emphasizes that Montenegro's upcoming accession to the European Union requires further significant harmonization of Montenegrin legislation with European directives and regulations regarding the entry, residence, and work of foreigners in Montenegro, aiming to prevent illegal migration, including illegal residence and work of foreigners. This involves establishing a different institutional framework and functioning of competent authorities, starting from issuing residence and work permits, to monitoring foreigners' work and rights, as well as fulfilling their obligations and those of their employers. Considering these facts, the Government deemed it justified to introduce a single permit system for temporary residence and work, which would still be issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs through its regional units after a procedure, with the new requirement of obtaining approval from the Employment Agency, without which the permit could not be issued. Accordingly, competent sectors are tasked with jointly reviewing and proposing the best model of legal solutions to define the new system for issuing permits for foreigners' residence and work, as well as ensuring interoperability of information systems and data exchange to enable efficient implementation of the new legal solutions.