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 www.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.