The Directorate and the Ministry will, in close co-operation with relevant stakeholders, prepare the evaluation of the Strategy and its action plans, as well as the Report on the implementation of the Youth Strategy 2017-2021 that will be submitted to the Government by the Ministry within three months from the date of expiry of the Strategy mandate. The Government of Montenegro adopted the Decree on the Organization and Work of the State Administration ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", No. 049/22 of 06.05.2022, 052/22 of 13.05.2022, 056/22 of 27.05.2022), which re-established the Ministry of Sports and Youth as the authority responsible for the field of youth.

The technical amendments to the Law on Youth and by-laws are also prepared with the aim of clearly defining the competencies of the Ministry and Directorate in fulfilling all administrative and technical conditions for announcement of the new public call for hiring administrators of youth services. This is of particular importance due to the fact that the contracts with the administrators of youth services at the local level expired in the first half of 2021, and there was no possibility for the contracts to be extended due to the new organization of the state administration, which hinders implementation of youth policy and youth work at the local level.

Mechanisms and actors

The first National Youth Steering Committee (NYSC) was appointed by the Ministry of Education and Science (Decision No. 01-3481) on 2 July 2007, according to the Decision of the Government with the mission to monitor and direct, implement, and promote the National Youth Action Plan (2006-2011).

During development of the new Youth Strategy 2017-2021, the principle of cross-sectoral cooperation was introduced through establishment of the inter-ministerial working group aiming to ensure a professional and efficient advisory cross-departmental and cross-sectoral collaboration of representatives of the Ministry of Education, Directorate of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Laboure and Social Welfare, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Science, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, and representatives of the civil sector. The Strategy clearly positions youth as a matter of public interest to Montenegro and through a holistic approach it envisages not only inter-sectoral co-operation but also inter-ministerial co-operation of youth policy actors.                                 

Therefore, in 2017, the Ministry of Sports and Youth has established an inter-ministerial Coordination cross-sectoral body for monitoring the implementation of the Strategy. Its mandate is to regularly report on the activities of the respective ministries relating to the implementation of the Action Plan of the Strategy, suggest possible cross-sectoral projects and give recommendations on the strategic documents in the field of youth. This approach enables a better implementation of youth policy, better planning of youth activities and, with the joint effort of all relevant stakeholders, it strives to improve the position of young people in Montenegro. The intention is to give this body greater influence by being led by the Prime Minister himself in order to ensure greater visibility and impact of all governmental policies conducted in different areas of youth inclusion, to advance the synergy of cross-sectoral cooperation between institutions and their policies as well as to confirm that youth is a high priority of the Government of Montenegro.                                                                     

Other laws relevant to youth in Montenegro     

Apart from the above-mentioned, there are various laws concerning promotion and protection of rights of young people in different fields of social life. Rights of youth in the field of education, youth participation and organization are prescribed by the Law on Higher Education, the General Law on Education, the Law on Vocational Education, and the Law on National Vocational Qualifications. The Law on Social and Child Protection guarantees social protection of youth; rights of young people on family and parental care are prescribed by the Family Law of Montenegro. Protection of youth with disabilities and other vulnerable groups is guaranteed by the Law on Prohibition against Discrimination, the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, the Law on Travel Privileges of Persons with Disabilities and the Law on Juvenile Justice.