UNOPS has supported the alignment of Montenegro’s national legislation with the EU acquis, the development of comprehensive strategies and progress in the negotiation process. The goal of the assignment was to enhance Montenegro’s institutional capacity to align legislation with the EU acquis, effectively manage the screening and negotiation process and implement strategic reforms. The UNOPS experts supported the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of European Integration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in strengthening their capacities for EU negotiations, legislative harmonization and alignment with the SAA process, while also supporting the establishment of a monitoring and coordination mechanism of donors’ support, drawing on expertise from other regional governments, ensuring evidence-based and effective support.

The UNOPS advisors played an important role in drafting a white paper on potential scenarios for establishing an effective donor coordination mechanism in Montenegro, including a comparative analysis of donor coordination and reform monitoring models in three regional countries, providing valuable insights for determining the most effective model for Montenegro. This paper provided an analysis to inform further discussions on a multidimensional mechanism, encompassing two pillars for a unified flow of reforms: (1) focusing on the monitoring of reform implementation and (2) focusing on the coordination with development partners. Based on this, the UNOPS advisors prepared a draft report on monitoring of EU reform progress and donor coordination mechanisms, which supports the establishment of a central function for development partner coordination within the Prime Minister’s Office.

Furthermore, the K4R programme also analyzed 50 requests for expert support from Montenegro’s Ministry of European Integration, ensuring that all activities are directly linked to the closing benchmarks received by Montenegro during accession talks or recommendations in EC annual reports. The K4R experts also provided monthly reporting on political criteria and EU accession progress providing clear, actionable insights to help Montenegro stay on track with EU expectations. Finally, UNOPS conducted an assessment aimed to strengthen the Secretariat to the Competitiveness Council of Montenegro, evaluating its role in government-business engagement, monitoring reform priorities and advising on structural reforms to enhance competitiveness.

By providing a clear strategic framework on establishing a donor coordination mechanism, the White Paper has ensured better alignment between national priorities and development partner support. Centralized development partner coordination enhances the Government’s ability to manage donor support effectively, ensuring streamlined policy planning and better alignment of resources with national priorities – contributing directly to more efficient implementation of reforms. The K4R’s advisory work will support effectiveness, accountability and transparency among institutions, improving service delivery.

Finally, a stronger Secretariat to the Competitiveness Council will increase government - business collaboration, improve reform monitoring and lay the groundwork for policies that enhance economic competitiveness.

The assignment directly supports SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions by building institutional capacity, improving governance and enhancing accountability in Montenegro, as well as by fostering better alignment between national priorities and development partner support. This, in turn, leads to more efficient service delivery and greater transparency.