Press release from the 138th Cabinet session

The Montenegrin Cabinet held its 138th session, chaired by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. The Cabinet adopted the Decision on establishing the Digital Health Agency, tasked with managing and maintaining the Integrated Health Information System, as well as carrying out other activities related to the digitalisation of the healthcare system. The Agency will act as the national technical custodian of the Integrated Health Information System: it will maintain interoperability standards, operationally manage key registries and services such as the Master Patient Index, registries of healthcare institutions and healthcare professionals, consent services and terminology services, and ensure the compliance and certification of all systems connected to the Integrated Health Information System. The system will be used to collect health data, monitor diseases, issue notifications on epidemics and interventions, and share health information within healthcare provision. As highlighted during the discussion, all citizens of Montenegro will benefit from the system and the Agency responsible for maintaining it - patients will receive higher-quality, faster and safer healthcare thanks to the availability of accurate and up-to-date data, while healthcare institutions will reduce their administrative burden and improve their working processes. Digitalisation will enable doctors to work more efficiently and make the healthcare system more cost-effective. The 2026 Budget Law provides €4,880,000 for the digitalisation of the healthcare system, including the funds required to establish the Agency.

The Cabinet adopted the Decision Amending the Decision on the Temporary Restriction of Exports of Certain Timber Assortments. The essence of the amendment is to temporarily restrict the export of timber assortments used as raw material for pellet production, as a shortage of these materials has been identified on the domestic market. The adoption of this Decision will create conditions for more stable operations of companies in this sector, ensure that the basic raw material is processed in Montenegro and that value-added wood products are exported, while enabling citizens to secure a reliable supply of pellets at more affordable prices.

The Cabinet adopted the Decision on Introducing International Restrictive Measures Established by Decisions of the Council of the European Union and European Union Regulations in View of the Situation in the Republic of Lebanon. This will ensure Montenegro's full alignment with all EU decisions and regulations adopted under the aforementioned sanctions regime, in line with Montenegro's foreign policy priority of alignment with the European Union in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The Cabinet adopted the Amendments to the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro. The 20 amendments further align the Criminal Code with the European Union acquis while clarifying certain provisions. Among other things, the amendments regulate the territorial application of criminal legislation by stipulating that a criminal offence committed through information and communication technologies will be deemed to have been committed in Montenegro when the technology or computer system was accessed from the territory of Montenegro, regardless of where the technology or computer system is located. This amendment aims to ensure more effective prosecution of criminal offences committed through information and communication technologies, particularly given the cross-border nature of such forms of crime. The amendments also introduce a new Article 42b into the Criminal Code, establishing specific circumstances to be taken into account when determining sentences for criminal offences against sexual freedom committed against a child. Under this provision, the court will particularly consider as aggravating circumstances the child's particular vulnerability, a relationship of dependency or trust between the perpetrator and the victim, the commission of the offence by multiple persons or as part of a criminal organisation, the perpetrator's previous convictions, endangering the child's life, as well as the use of severe violence or the occurrence of serious consequences for the child. This measure strengthens the criminal-law protection of child victims of sexual violence and ensures that sentences are individualised in accordance with the severity of the consequences caused by such criminal offences.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on Annual Activities Funded by the Montenegro Acceleration Fund. This is a United Nations country-level fund that brings together development partners and the Government of Montenegro with the aim of accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Montenegro's EU accession process. As a financing mechanism and platform for innovative partnerships, the Fund contributes to the implementation of strategic and joint projects involving several UN agencies, aligned with national priorities set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Montenegro 2023-2027. At the end of 2025, its third year of operation, the Fund had resources amounting to USD 6.6 million, of which USD 4.8 million was allocated to the implementation of nine joint projects covering the three strategic pillars of cooperation under the Cooperation Framework. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tasked with making the regular annual contribution of €200,000 for 2026 to finance the Fund.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on making available, free of charge, 1,500 cubic metres of deposited sand from the Bojana River fork to the Municipality of Kolašin for the construction of a stadium.

The Cabinet adopted the Draft Urban Planning and Technical Requirements for the Preparation of Technical Documentation for the Construction of a Sports and Recreation Facility - Sports Centre, on the Location Comprising Cadastral Parcels Nos. 2272 and 2273, Cadastral Municipality of Tuzi, within the Scope of the Amendments to the Spatial and Urban Plan of the Capital City of Podgorica.

The Cabinet granted approval for the implementation of preparatory works for the construction of a facility of public interest - the reconstruction of Regional Road R-15 (R-16), Virpazar-Rijeka Crnojevića-Cetinje, Donji Ulići section, Phase I. The planned reconstruction is in line with the Spatial Plan of Lake Skadar National Park and the General Urban Development Plan for Rijeka Crnojevića within the Spatial and Urban Plan of the Capital City of Cetinje, while the investor is the Transport Administration.

The Cabinet also granted approval for the implementation of preparatory works for the construction of a facility of public interest - the reconstruction of the "Ujtin potok" Bridge on Main Road M1 (M2.4), at kilometre 6+430, in the Municipality of Bar.

The Cabinet granted approval for the conclusion of the Agreement on the Joint Construction of a Residential and Commercial Building submitted by the University of Montenegro. During the discussion, it was stated that LD GROUP from Nikšić had submitted an offer to the Governing Board of the University of Montenegro for the development of cadastral parcels Nos. 1372/52, 1348/6 and 1385/17, Cadastral Municipality of Podgorica I, with a total area of 865 m², managed by the University of Montenegro and forming part of urban parcel 37 within the scope of the Detailed Urban Plan "University Centre" - Amendments in Podgorica. The company, as the sole owner of cadastral parcel No. 1386/1, Cadastral Municipality of Podgorica I, with an area of 3,250 m², and the owner of the largest individual portion of land within urban parcel 37, proposed that the site be developed through a joint construction arrangement for a residential and commercial building. Under the offer submitted, the investor would provide the University of Montenegro with 25% of the net usable area of the residential and commercial premises and parking spaces, proportionate to the share of land managed by the University of Montenegro in the total area of urban parcel 37. The land managed by the University of Montenegro covers 865 m², representing approximately 14.26% of the total area of urban parcel 37. The exact scope, structure and location of the individual parts of the building and parking spaces to be allocated to the University of Montenegro will be precisely defined by the Agreement on Joint Construction, based on the final and revised technical documentation and the division of the building into separate units.

The Cabinet accepted the text of the Agreement on Financing the "European Youth Capital 2028" Project for 2026, between the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Capital City of Podgorica. On 28 November 2025, with the support of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the civil sector, Podgorica was awarded the title of European Youth Capital 2028 by the European Youth Forum, representing one of the most significant international recognitions in the field of youth policy. The title entails the implementation of a multi-year programme of activities aimed at improving the position of young people, developing youth policies and strengthening youth participation in decision-making processes. The Ministry of Sports and Youth has committed to contributing 20% of the total value of the European Youth Capital Podgorica 2028 programme, amounting to €1,000,000, to be disbursed in phases in 2026, 2027 and 2028. In this context, the Ministry was tasked with transferring €100,000 to the Capital City for the fulfilment of contractual obligations for 2026.