During its 69th session today, led by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, the Montenegrin Cabinet approved the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees. The main objective of these amendments is to promote professionalism, a merit-based system, and transparency in the roles and responsibilities of civil servants. The proposed modifications seek to reinforce the legal standing of inspectors, clarify the roles of presidents and members of state commissions, enhance their selection procedures, establish post-mandate rights, and ensure competence and expertise within these bodies. Additionally, the amendments are in line with recommendations from the European Commission concerning employment conditions. Discussions highlighted that these proposed changes will aid in depoliticizing and streamlining public administration, emphasizing quality improvements.

Significant amendments include: increasing experience requirements for civil service roles to bolster professionalization and expertise in the public sector; mandatory selection of the top-ranked candidate for non-senior positions based on merit and qualifications to further depoliticize public administration; allowing for permanent reassignment within state bodies (with consent) to enhance workforce allocation and efficiency; ensuring institutional memory and continuity, alongside establishing clear conditions for early mandate termination; granting permanent employment for inspectors, replacing the previous five-year limit in line with the International Labour Organization’s principles on labor inspector stability; revising severance policies to limit entitlement to one year of severance only in cases of mandate expiration or organizational restructuring, while officials resigning voluntarily or receiving poor performance evaluations, or those serving less than six months will be compensated for up to two months; and aligning the retirement age with the Labour Law, reducing the threshold from 67 to 66 years.

The Cabinet also adopted the Draft Law on Insurance, designed to bring national legislation in line with Solvency II regulations, specifically Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/35 and Directive 2009/138/EC regarding the initiation and conduct of insurance and reinsurance businesses (Solvency II). This draft law further incorporates provisions from Directive (EU) 2016/97 on insurance distribution, along with measures aimed at continuously improving regulatory practices and supervisory standards based on prior implementation experiences.

An essential component of the draft law is its alignment with guidelines on qualifying holdings in the financial sector, which specify eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, and standardized interpretations for national regulators managing acquisition approvals. Moreover, the cooperation obligations articulated in the law are partially based on delegated EU regulations, ensuring a cohesive framework for information exchange and oversight across various supervisory activities.

The Cabinet approved the allocation of €200,000 from the Current Budget Reserve to assist the families of victims from the tragic incident in Cetinje on January 1, 2025.

Furthermore, the Cabinet amended its prior decision from December 30, 2024, designating Admir Šahmanović, Minister of Mining, Oil and Gas, as the acting Minister of Energy until a new minister is appointed.