The project "Implementation of the Public Administration Reform Strategy in Montenegro”, implemented by NISPAcee, within the UNDP–Government of Slovakia programme on Promotion of the Slovak Transitional Experience and Human Capital in ODA, completed its activities in July 2012.

The main purpose of the project was to provide members of the Montenegrin Governmental Task Force - Coordination Committee for Implementation of the PAR Strategy - with a source of knowledge and comparative experience on the adaptation and reform of Public Administration during the EU accession process.

This was assured by the implementation of the following three main activities: study tour to Slovakia for members of the Coordination Committee of the Government of Montenegro (implemented in November – December 2011); Slovak experts’ mission to Montenegro (implemented in March 2012) and the development of Guidelines (published in July 2012).

As already mentioned, the basic idea behind the project was to contribute to the successful reform process in Montenegro with selected Slovak experiences,arising from the process of public administration implementation and reform.Since this reform in Montenegro is already at an advanced level, it was necessary to focus the project's activities on the reform priorities specified in the Public Administration Reform Strategy (AURUM) for the years 2011–2016. As a result of this, and based on selected Slovak experience, the Government Commission members have chosen, during their study tour (December 2011), certain topics from the process of public administration reform and management in the Slovak Republic, which now form the core of this manual. It is these issues, elaborated herein, which are closely connected to the continuing problems of Montenegrin public administration reform, soon to be dealt with on the basis of the AURUM strategy, together with the requirements applicable for Montenegro as a candidate State for the European integration process.

The selection of topics included in this manual was carried out by the Montenegrin Government Commission members, in close cooperation with Slovak experts, in such a manner as to cover, within their contents, various marginal aspects of public administration reform and to respond to the current problems and major challenges of the Montenegrin reform process. Included in the manual are issues of the proper and efficient functioning of local state administration, as well as self-government, the conceptual and consistent education of civil servants and, last but not least, the issue of quality assessment of the influences of proposals for generally binding legal regulations and the process for making them available to the public.

The project team believes that a manual structured in this manner and, in particular, the information it contains, will become an inspiration, not only for members of the Montenegrin Government Commission, but also for other representatives involved in the reform of the state administration authorities at a local, as well as regional level, self-government representatives, and the entire professional public in Montenegro.

The developed manual is available free of charge in three languages – English,Montenegrin and Slovak.