Montenegro Results Report 2022-2024

Montenegro’s third action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... included ambitious commitments around public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... in policy-making, access to information on the work of the government, and transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More of European Union (EU) projects. However, weak political commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action..., poor inter-institutional cooperation, and limited civil society engagement negatively impacted the implementation of the action plan. Future action plans could benefit from stronger governmental oversight and civil society involvement, particularly during implementation.

Implementation

Montenegro’s third action plan had 20 commitments, covering citizen participation, open data, free access to information, fiscal transparency, and anti-corruption. Many commitments supported Montenegro’s EU accession and aligned with strategic documents such as the Public Administration Reform Strategy 2022-2026, the Cooperation Strategy of State Administration Bodies and Non-Governmental Organizations 2022-2026, and the Digital Transformation Strategy 2022-2026. Seven commitments focused on local self-government units (LSGUs).^[1] This structure led to some duplication, with similar or identical initiatives planned at both levels, potentially fragmenting implementation efforts due to insufficient coordination.^[2]

Despite some early progress in specific areas, most commitments were either not started or were partially completed. The commitments on citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More went mostly unfulfilled, including improving the e-participation portal (Commitment 1). Similarly, Commitment 5 on transparency of the use of EU funds saw only limited completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... More.

Commitment 7 resulted in the government’s decision to publish the full agenda of its sessions—excluding classified items—along with other working materials from meetings. Commitment 3 involved efforts to raise public business awareness to engage in policy-making (Commitment 3) and the promotion of the e-petitions platform of the Parliament (Commitment 3). In addition, Commitment 9 resulted in improved accessibility of the Parliament’s website for individuals with disabilities.^[3]

Participation and Co-Creation

The co-creation process of the third action plan was more structured and showed higher engagement than the previous action plan (2018-2021). The Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), which oversees the OGP process, carried out a citizen survey to gather ideas for the action plan, while the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the civil society organization Institut Alternativa assisted the MPA in organizing public consultations in several municipalities. However, Montenegro’s multi-stakeholder forum, the Operations Team (OT), was inactive during most of the co-creation process after the OT’s mandate expired in July 2022. The government was unable to fill vacancies due to the existence of a caretaker government following elections in August 2022.^[4] Civil society’s influence during the implementation phase is unclear. The MPA did not provide regular updates on Montenegro’s OGP website on the completion of the commitments, reportedly due to the 2022 cyberattack on government websites. Many civil society stakeholders remained skeptical of the OGP process as a driver of reform, leading to their disengagement. In April 2025, the MPA initiated a call for membership in the renewed OT for the co-creation of the fourth action plan.^[5]

Implementation in Context

Government transitions and shifting political priorities disrupted the implementation of the action plan. The reorganization of government bodies complicated coordination, as ministries and agencies adjusted to new mandates, delaying reforms and altering previously agreed-upon priorities. Weak interagency cooperation slowed decision-making and hindered collaboration on cross-cutting commitments. Additionally, insufficient financial and human resources constrained implementation. Without the engagement of civil society and other international organizations, many commitments lacked external support, technical expertise, and oversight, stalling their progress.

Despite these challenges, Montenegro expanded open government efforts at the local level, with the municipalities of Bar, Plav, and Žabljak joining OGP Local in 2024.^[6] These municipalities are implementing commitments on anti-corruption, fiscal openness, climate action, and public participation, offering a model for opening government in Montenegro.