THE THORNY ROAD TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN MONTENEGRO

Montenegro and the EU signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement committing the country to harmonize its legislation with the EU acquis communautaire. In reference to public administration, the Agreement's provisions emphasize the development of an efficient and accountable public administration with the goal of modernizing the Montenegrin administration in line with standards and principles of the European Administrative Space. In 2003, Montenegro adopted the PARiM Public Administration Reform Strategy 2003-2009 with two priorities: institutional and legal consolidation of the administrative system and the harmonization of the existing legislation with European and international standards (EU, CoE, UN, OSCE). However, the PARiM project met resistance and was not fully realized. The following administrative reform strategy, called Agenda of Administrative Reforms in Montenegro 2011-2016 (AURUM), states that Montenegro is determined to become part of the European system of values and that public authorities should fully harmonize the national legal framework with the acquis communautaire. In the 2016-2020 Public Administration Strategy, it was noted that AURUM had achieved limited effects and that the EU candidate countries need to establish an effective and efficient public administration. With all the drawbacks and obstacles that the public administration reform in Montenegro faced and is facing, the adoption and implementation of the new Law on Administrative Procedure (2014-2017) opened up prospects that public administration reform to be achieved on Montenegro's road to full EU membership.