The Government has approved amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and Employees.

This was announced by Public Administration Minister, Maraš Dukaj, during a conference held for this purpose.

“This legislation is essential for the depoliticization and reform of public administration. It has undergone several amendments since 2021, which has drawn criticism from the European Commission,” he emphasized.

He indicated that only those whose mandates expire or those affected by reorganization will receive severance upon leaving their positions. Additionally, he noted that employment would conclude at 66 years of age, in accordance with the Labor Law, and that inspectors would receive permanent employment, rather than being elected as before…

When asked how the plan to reduce 20 percent of public administration employees and its optimization would be carried out, Dukaj stressed that this is a process that must be thoughtfully planned.

“One of the measures is this Law; we have surplus employees and a deficiency of personnel in institutions…,” he stated, adding that the aim is to retain skilled staff.

He mentioned that he is not aware of the two initiatives that the Government has submitted to the European Commission regarding a model for worker layoffs and the optimization of state administration.

Criticism arose regarding the previous amendments to this law due to a lack of necessary processes and transparency, which drew attention from both the EU and segments of the public.

In the initial proposal for amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, the government aimed to lower the educational requirements for senior management and expert roles in public administration by allowing appointments with a sixth level of education, rather than the previous seventh level.

The sixth level corresponds to a bachelor’s degree, which is obtained after three years of study and is offered by numerous private universities in Montenegro and neighboring countries.

This law, which relaxes the criteria, pertains to high-level state officials such as ministry secretaries, directors of directorates and administrations, heads of bodies and services, and their assistants, as well as the expert personnel engaged in drafting laws, state strategies, and plans. Dukaj noted at the end of January that these changes received overall positive feedback from the European Commission, and he intends to align with the recommendations as closely as possible.

Dukaj also mentioned that the required years of experience in public administration have been increased, while the mandate for acting officials is now limited to six months, with the possibility of permanent appointments between bodies.

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