Category: Montenegro

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Montenegro launches new e-Registry for national level business licenses and permits.

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The new registry improves transparency through one-stop-access to all relevant information related to licenses.

Montenegro’s Ministry of Finance and Chamber of Commerce along with representatives of EWMI’s Good Governance Activity in Montenegro held a joint press conference on January 25, 2013 announcing the formal launch of the new e-Registry for national level business licenses and permits in Montenegro. The new e-Registry, which is now accessible online at licenca.me and available to all citizens, was developed in order to reduce regulatory costs and risks to businesses though improved availability of authoritative information on licenses; improve transparency through one-stop-access to all relevant information related to licenses; and provide a basis for regulatory reviews and for monitoring regulatory performance through the vetting of new formalities before posting in the e-Registry.

The e-Registry is an inventory of over 540 different licenses, permits and permissions from some 36 government agencies. The creation of the e-Registry Portal marks the first time that a comprehensive inventory of this kind has been made available, and in one place. The registry provides links to the responsible agency’s application system or provides printable forms for completion, with an explanation of the legal basis for the license or permit. EWMI provided expert assistance to the Business Licensing Reform Working Group by helping to create an inventory of all licenses and permits currently under the Montenegrin law; determining which licenses and permits were appropriate for the e-registry; identifying where streamlining was possible; and gathering all of the relevant information on each license and permit to be included in order to place it on the e-Registry. Additionally, EWMI and USAID provided funding support for the creation of the new online registry site and the acquisition of some of the necessary hardware.

EWMI’s support of the business licensing e-Registry portal is a part of EWMI’s larger efforts to improve the overall business environment in Montenegro and encourage efficient and transparent business licensing and permitting practices that reduce costs and mitigate corruption. 

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The new One Stop Shop streamlines administrative procedures for business licenses and permits.

On December 18, 2012, the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje opened a new Customer Center One Stop Shop (CCOSS) in its historic municipal building. Opened in the presence of the US Ambassador and central and local government officials, the CCOSS was the culmination of a year’s work on multiple agendas by EWMI through the Good Governance Activity in Montenegro. EWMI helped streamline subnational administrative procedures, and sponsored the creation of user-friendly e-government software to turn them into electronic procedures. Working closely with Cetinje’s IT Department, EWMI established a new customer center as the single interface between clients and the municipal government. The subnational e-government / CCOSS program will be expanded to Ulcinj Municipality before the end of the GG Activity, and the CCOSS has already been linked to the national level licensing e-registry also engineered by EWMI. Overall support for the activities in the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje, was financed through the United States Agency of International Development (USAID).

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New LCD monitors will display schedule of hearings.

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U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro, Sue K. Brown, and Vesna Medenica, President of the Supreme Court and the Judicial Council of Montenegro, attended the opening ceremony.

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The renovated user premises of the Basic Court in Podgorica were opened to the public September 2012.

On September 12, 2012, the renovated user premises of the Basic Court in Podgorica were officially opened to the public, signifying the successful completion of the Court Improvement Plan that primarily involved improvements to internal court management and overall court transparency, as well as improvements in internal communication within the court administration.

The 1.5 year and 150,000.00 EUR improvement project included:

• Introduction of a new Manual Case Management System, accompanied by provision of new shelves for case file folders and designing and printing of revised case file folders (expediting case handling procedures); introduction of internal case file location cards and calendar books into daily case management processes; 
   
• Development and implementation of backlog case reduction plans to guide more efficient resolution of backlog cases facilitated by formation of “judges’ teams;”
   
• Engagement of an “Archive Commission” to drive more efficient management and purging of archived cases from the court;
   
• Better systematization of working posts and better distribution of the court workload;
   
• Various activities for improvement of daily court operations: development of brochures prepared by the court and offering court clients essential information, provision of LCD monitors with schedule of hearings and provision of complaint/suggestion boxes that will guide court management in improvements of customer services and facilitate provision of better services to court clients; and
   
• Renovation of court facilities in the customer service areas with the greatest customer flow (file registries, copy center, security desk, etc.), as well as partial renovation of court archive premises. The renovation will improve the efficiency of the court and increase its transparency, leading to better service to court customers.
   

The renovation will improve the efficiency of the court and increase its transparency, leading to better service to court customers.