On Friday, 17 July, we held the third meeting of the National Consultative Mechanism for the Reform Agenda – N-CoMER. The meeting was attended by representatives of civil society organisations and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, and the discussion focused on the implementation of the Reform Agenda to date, the assessment of achieved results, and the next steps in the process.
Participants highlighted the need for reports on the implementation of reform commitments to be based on the most precise and realistic assessment possible, bearing in mind that, in some cases, progress may be presented more optimistically than reflected in government reports. We also discussed the funds linked to reform steps that were due to be completed by the expiry of the grace period in June, as well as whether there is still a possibility for those funds to be approved.
Participants also considered the distinction between qualitative and quantitative reform steps. It was noted that, in the case of quantitative indicators, it is easier to determine the level of achievement and potentially apply the concept of partial fulfilment, while the assessment of legislative and other qualitative commitments is generally based on whether the specific step has been fully implemented.
Participants also discussed possible amendments to the Reform Agenda by the end of the year, including the introduction of additional reform steps and the allocation of additional funds that may be released from the allocations of other countries. Representatives of the EU Delegation stated that new steps are already being considered and agreed with the Government of Montenegro. It was explained that the rationale for defining these steps in Montenegro is to direct additional commitments towards areas in which they can make the greatest contribution to the accession negotiations and accelerate the fulfilment of obligations related to EU membership.
The need for more systematic monitoring of results under the first two pillars of the Growth Plan—Integration with the EU Single Market and strengthening economic integration within the Western Balkans through the Common Regional Market—was also highlighted, particularly in view of their potential contribution to economic growth. Participants also discussed regional commitments whose implementation depends on cooperation among several countries, as well as the need to present more clearly to the public the progress made in implementing infrastructure projects financed or supported through the Growth Plan.
The meeting was held within the framework of the project “Monitoring Reforms and Growth in the Western Balkans”, implemented by Institute Alternative together with its regional partners: the European Policy Institute (North Macedonia), the European Policy Centre (Serbia), Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Group for Legal and Political Studies (Kosovo), and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (Albania). The project is supported by the European Commission and, in Montenegro, co-financed by the Government of Montenegro through the Ministry of Regional-Investment Development and Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organisations.