Representatives of local self-government should be more involved in the negotiation process, bearing in mind that most of the EU legal acts are being implemented at the local level, was assessed at the meeting of the Chief EU Negotiator Aleksandar Drljević and the Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, Refik Bojadžić.
Speakers talked about improving partnership between the European Integration Office and the Union of Municipalities, with the aim of implementing obligations from the EU’s accession process, as well as the ability to involve local government representatives in the work of all working bodies, committees and commissions that are formed at central level for the needs the European integration process.
Drljević stressed that Montenegro faces numerous challenges in the process of European integration and, accordingly, stressed the need for intensifying the activities under the negotiating process of Montenegro with the European Union. He estimated that the Office for European Integration has good cooperation with the Union of Municipalities, but also that there is space for its improvement and concretization of content and ways of joint action.
Bojadžić introduced the chief negotiator with the most important activities of the Union of Municipalities in area of European integration in the previous period, especially emphasizing the importance of the establishment of the Revolving Fund for Municipalities as foreseen in the Draft Law on Local Self-Government Financing, which is expected to be adopted by the end of the year.
GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO
SECTOR FOR INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE EU AND THE EU ACCESSION PROCESS