Over the past year, Montenegro’s Ministry of Finance has worked under a demanding reform timetable. CEF support has focused on practical, day-to-day assistance, helping strengthen the public financial management coordination framework, clarify institutional roles, improve planning and reporting cycles, and prepare for structured dialogue with the European Commission. This cooperation has contributed to a more structured and coordinated reform process, strengthening the administration’s ability to manage complex reforms.

In parallel, Montenegro has also been strengthening the capacity of its public administration to plan, coordinate, and deliver priority structural reforms. This has been supported through the EU-funded, multi-beneficiary project Structural Reforms Better Integrated Within Fiscal Frameworks (FISR2), implemented by the CEF from 2022 to 2026. The project supports beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye in implementing their Reform Agenda and prepare Economic Reform Programme documents. It has been supporting coordination of economic policies among institutions within the countries, and economic policy dialogue with the European Commission, which is central to the accession process and closely linked to better compliance with the acquis chapter 17 (Economic and Monetary Union).

As Montenegro accelerates efforts to meet closing benchmarks and move closer to EU membership, such targeted capacity development complements legislative and policy work, strengthening institutional readiness, cross-government coordination, and analytical capacity. These are key prerequisites for sustaining progress on the EU path. In this context, Montenegrin officials continue to engage actively in CEF-supported learning and peer exchange as part of the country’s broader reform and accession efforts.