Montenegrin capacity building for approximation of EU legislation

Supported by: SlovakAid, a Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Programme

The project "Montenegrin capacity building for approximation of EU legislation" began in June 2012. It has been implemented by NISPAcee, in co-operation with the Project Partner Institution, Human Resources Management Authority. The project is supported by SlovakAid, a Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Programme and the project’s activities are scheduled for a period of one year.

The partner organisations developed this project with the aim of providing practical information at all stages of the approximation process in Montenegro, together with guidance as to how to approach the changes in the process of law-making and what should be expected. The overall project objective is to prepare the competent Montenegrin state authorities for approximation and harmonisation with the acquis communautaire.

Within the project it is planned to complete the following two main project outputs:

1, collection of policy papers containing recommendations for individual steps of a legislative and other nature, which will be based on the actual current situation as regards the Montenegrin law-making process and aimed at its gradual preparation for the process of law approximation and

2, key state officials/legislatorsprepared for the process of approximation and harmonisation of Montenegrin laws.

The team of Slovak and Montenegrin experts have been working on the project since the outset. There were several preparatory meetings, where the project staff discussed the development and preparation of the upcoming project activities.

In the summer, the Montenegrin experts developed an analysis of the actual situation in Montenegro. Based on this document and also based on other information about the actual conditions, the Slovak experts developed the programme for the planned seminar, which will be held by the beginning of November in Podgorica, Montenegro. It will focus on the changes in legislative technique, law-making processes, and consequential requirements in the pre-accession period and during membership of the European Union. Although the accession of Montenegro to the European Union will be preceded by aseemingly long period of accession process, the "post-accession” period needs to already be incorporated at this stage, since the preparation for legislative changes, which will occur during that period, need to begin now.