The experts of SIGMA, the joint initiative of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union, prepare reports containing the progress assessment in the public administration reform of the EU candidate countries. The goal of the reports is to identify areas in which the country needs further support and to collect information for drafting the European Commission’s progress report.

At the meeting with the SIGMA expert in charge of accountability, they discussed the oversight role of the Parliament over the executive authority bodies and independent institutions, and cooperation between the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro.

Chairperson of the Committee Mr Halil Duković informed the SIGMA representative on the work of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms, emphasising that this working body uses assessments to guide the planning of its activities, and especially criticisms contained in the European Commission’s reports.

The SIGMA expert Mr Dawid Sześciło estimated that progress in the process of public administration reform had been achieved in Montenegro, but there was still a lot of challenges and resolving them should be done in accordance with the Public Administration Reform Strategy. He thanked him for the very useful information which would be helpful in drafting the report which should be submitted to the Government of Montenegro by the end of May 2017, and after that to the European Commission.