Today, Centre for Civic Education (CCE), in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), continued with the implementation of project «European cafe», within which it organised a meeting of NGO representatives and ambassador Mitja Drobnič, Head of EU Delegation to Montenegro on “Role and significance of non-governmental organisations in the process of negotiations of Montenegro with European Union – from the EU perspective”.
CCE Executive director Daliborka Uljarević assessed that «the role of Montenegrin non-governmental sector is inevitable in the process of negotiations with the EU, especially since state institutions do not possess the administrative capacity needed to assume values and EU acquis in an optimal manner. Through the implementation of its project activities, the NGO sector, as a corrector of social relations, provides immeasurable contribution to development of functionality of democracy in Montenegro». Uljarević emphasised «the significance of support to NGO sector provided by the EU and its institutions, as well as by the EU Delegation to Montenegro, as an inevitable partner to all who work on Europeanization of Montenegrin society».
Ambassador Drobnič expressed his gratitude with quality and comprehensive discussion he had with civil sector representatives and underlined the significance of their former and future contribution to process of European integration.
European cafe gathered 25 NGO representatives from different areas of work, who exchanged opinions on current course of the negotiations in an informal discussion, as well as on the possibilities of contribution to process from angle of NGOs, but also on challenges that NGOs face, then EU support programmes, term of EU Delegation to Montenegro and further improvement of cooperation between the Delegation and NGO. Objective of the European cafe is to create basis for open and fruitful informal discussions that will contribute to the improvement of cooperation between civil society organisations and institutions, intensify the communication, map existing problems and challenges, define the proposal for overcoming them and inform on specific aspects of accession process.
European cafe on “Role and significance of non-governmental organisations in the process of negotiations of Montenegro with European Union – from the EU perspective”, is the second in series of events of that kind, which CCE will organise during 2015, with representatives of Montenegrin institutions, then EU institutions, diplomatic core and other domestic and international experts from this area. First guest of European cafe was the ambassador Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, State secretary for European integration and Chief negotiator.
Svetlana Pešić, programme associate