Existence of a national youth strategy 

The National Youth Action Plan (NYAP)1 2006-2011 https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/47262379/YOUTH+WIKI_Montenegro.pdf/0c70c930-8310-435c-bbf6-08601dd21601 was adopted by the Government of Montenegro in October 2006, symbolizing the re-establishment of the strategic framework for youth policy in the country for the first time. The NYAP envisaged social measures in nine areas (culture, education, employment, family, health, human rights, information and mobility, leisure time and participation). In order to monitor and evaluate NYAP implementation, a National Steering Committee on Youth was established in the same year.

                    
The Youth Strategy 2017-2021 https://montenegro.un.org/en/43293-youth-strategy-2017-2021 (hereinafter the Strategy) was adopted by the Government of Montenegro on 29 September 2016. The scope of the Strategy is regulated by the Law on Youth (Article 13), stating that it defines the competencies of youth policy entities, long-term goals, measures and activities, as well as financial, administrative and other measures for their implementation. The main goal is to ensure that Montenegro receives the necessary support and resources, so that young people can have all the requirements to develop their competencies, values and characteristics necessary for quality of life and holistic social, emotional, psychological and physical development. The Strategy positions young people not only as subjects of youth policy, but also as actors that are responsible for its planning, realization, monitoring and evaluation.                 

Scope and contents 

The Strategy defines six key priorities (outcomes) regarding Montenegrin youth:                     

A. Young people achieve economic and social security through improved access to labor market and employment;   

B. Young people have access to quality education;

C. Young people are active citizens, involved, motivated and proactive, and participate in decision-making and community development processes, in creation of policies and their implementation;

D. Young people are healthy, they are safe, and have access to an adequate support system for transition to adulthood and self-realization;                     

E. Young people have access to quality cultural content as creators and consumers;                                         

F. Normative and institutional framework for the implementation of youth policy has been established. 

Integral parts of the Strategy are:             

• an implementation plan with general measures and sub-measures which should lead to fulfilment of key outcomes within the planned deadline, with identification of entities accountable for their implementation;                                     

• a monitoring and evaluation framework of the implementation of the Strategy, containing 52 indicators (international and national indicators);                                  

• an action plan which contains concrete activities that are going to be implemented within the first year of implementation (2017).                                                               

For the purpose of identifying measures and key activities to improve the position of young people in Montenegro, action plans for the implementation of the Strategy were adopted and implemented for 2017, 2018 and 2019. The former Ministry of Sports and Youth, within the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and in collaboration with all youth actors relevant in the field of youth policy, prepared a two-year Action Plan 2020-2021, which is currently implemented by the newly established governing bodies. The implementation of activities relating to increasing youth participation in the decision-making process, promoting youth entrepreneurship and greater employability of young people, non-formal education of young people, strengthening their competencies and socio-emotional skills has been slightly delayed by the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.                                         As of December 2020, local action plans for youth were adopted in all (23) Montenegrin municipalities, according to the Law on Youth (Article 14), which prescribes the obligation of the municipality to adopt a local action plan for youth for the period of validity of the action plan at the national level. This legal solution creates conditions for the improvement of youth policy at the local level, and introduces, for the first time, misdemeanor liability for responsible persons in the municipality in case of non-fulfilment of legal obligations.                                               

Responsible authority for the implementation of the youth strategy The youth policy in Montenegro is implemented by the Government of Montenegro; state administration bodies Ministry of Sports and Youth https://www.gov.me/cyr/ms/mladi; other administration bodies competent for areas of relevance to young people; municipalities, the Capital and the Old Royal Capital; non-governmental organizations; and other entities participating in planning, implementation and improvement of youth policy (Law on Youth, Article 3).   

Ministries that are involved as main actors in the creation of policies in the field of employment and entrepreneurship for young people are:

1. Ministry of Sports and Youth (https://www.gov.me/cyr/ms  )

2. Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (https://www.gov.me/cyr/mrs )

3. Ministry of Education (https://www.gov.me/cyr/mps )

4. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management (https://www.gov.me/cyr/mpsv )

5. Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism https://www.gov.me/cyr/mek 

- The Ministry of Sports and Youth deals with initiating and undertaking measures aimed at improving the situation in the field of sports and youth. The Ministry also promotes the development and improvement of youth policy at the national and local level, cooperation with non-governmental organizations, business associations and the media. The Ministry of Sports and Youth also encourages informal education of young people and supports the work of youth services.

- The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare is responsible for preparing proposals for regulations in the field of labor relations, the labor market, and social policy. The Ministry supervises the Employment Office, the Social Security Administration, the Labor Fund, and social and child welfare centers and institutions. It is also responsible for drafting strategic documents (https://www.zzzcg.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/predlog-nacionalne-strategije-zaposljavanja-2021-2025-s-predlogom-akcionog-plana-zaposljavanja-za-2021-godinu.pdf  ).

-The Ministry of Education deals with the preparation and implementation of legal regulations in the field of education as well as career guidance. One of the basic youth employment programs in Montenegro is implemented by the Ministry of Education, namely the professional training program. The program has been implemented since 2013 and it serves for continuous, programmatic and systemic acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences for independent performance of work tasks.

- The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management strives to encourage the development of agricultural production by developing regulations and defining support models, and thus through various projects and programs to help young entrepreneurs (file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/15_117_25_06_2015%20(4).pdf ).

- The Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism deals with improving competitiveness, the investment environment and cooperation with the business community. It improves the business environment, facilitates the business of small and medium-sized enterprises and strengthens entrepreneurship. It creates favorable business climates and conditions that will lead to the establishment of modern Montenegrin industry. It strategically plans the development of tourism in our country and develops a sustainable, green, smart and inclusive, year-round tourism product in accordance with modern trends.

Revisions/updates

The main differences in the strategies adopted in the previous period were related to thematic areas that were defined by strategic documents, as well as in the definition of guidelines for the implementation of strategic documents.

The first NYAP envisaged social measures in nine areas (culture, education, employment, family, health, human rights, information and mobility, leisure time and participation). In order to monitor and evaluate NYAP implementation, a National Steering Committee on Youth was established in the same year.

National Youth Strategy 2017-2021 had six key priorities (outcomes) regarding Montenegrin youth (mentioned in the same section).                      The new National Youth Strategy 2024-2027 is adopted on begging of the 2024.                                                            

Programme of realization of public interest in the field of youth policy                   

Article 15 of the Law on Youth (Official Gazette of Montenegro, Nos. 025/19 and 027/19) prescribes that the Government of Montenegro shall adopt the programme on achieving public interest in the field of youth policy at least once every two years.