Montenegro signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in 2007 and was granted EU candidate status in 2010. The accession negotiations with Montenegro started in 2012. In June 2024, the EU confirmed that Montenegro has, overall, met the interim benchmarks set for Chapters 23 and 24. Montenegro aims to close all negotiations chapters by the end of 2026.
SIGMA is currently working with:
- The Montenegrin administration on the enhancement of the requirements for good policy making, development of methodological guidance for line ministries and support in the application of the requirements in practice.
- The Ministry of Public Administration and the HRMA on improving the public service regulatory framework and enhancing the professionalism and meritocracy of human resource management, including implementation of HRM monitoring and performance appraisal, as well as the preparation of new legislation for local governments.
- The Ministry of Public Administration Internal IT audit unit on strengthening its government wide role for internal IT audit.
- The Ministry of Finance on finding ways to improve implementation of internal control and internal audit requirements, as well as the internal audit unit for EU funds to strengthen its audit methodology.
- The Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information on improving the functioning of access to information.
- The Ministry of Finance and the State Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures on the effective implementation of the new legal framework in the public procurement area, especially central purchasing, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), by providing effective advice and developing guidelines to address these challenges.
- The State Audit Institution on strengthening its strategic framework and further enhancing its audit impact.
