The information below has been taken from the website of the NGO Coalition “Through Cooperation to the Aim”, www.saradnjomdocilja.org. On March 2016, the NGO Coalition “Through Cooperation to the Aim” submitted to the Government of Montenegro an initiative for amending the Law on Culture. The initiative demands that the request for amending the Law on Culture, i.e. its part referring to project funding through a call for proposals launched by the Ministry of Culture should be included in the Programme for the Development of Culture 2016 –2020.

Article 71 of the Law on Culture (“Official Gazette of Montenegro”, no 49/08, 16/11 and 38/12) excludes non-governmental organizations from a group of users of funding awarded in support of the development of cultural scene in Montenegro. The reason for amending the Law on Culture in 2012 and excluding NGOs as users of funding was explained at that time by the need to harmonize the Law on Culture with the Law on Non-Governmental Organizations adopted in 2011. However, the Government of Montenegro is going soon to adopt a Law on Amendments to the Law on Non-Governmental Organizations. These amendments will pertain to decentralizing the system of funding is such a way as to make the ministries responsible for the funding of NGO projects in the areas of their activity. This will create an obligation for the Ministry of Culture to support the projects of NGOs in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

The NGO Coalition advocates for the proper regulation of such support to the work of non-governmental organization, which would provide an additional encouragement to NGOs to improve their work, and a support to NGOs that contribute to the development of culture through their activities.

The NGO Coalition supports the cultural NGOs which have raised this issue.

The NGO Coalition “Through Cooperation to the Aim” was registered in May 2006 and currently it gathers 101 NGOs registered in Montenegro. The main aims of the NGO Coalition are to:

• improve a framework for the development and work to the NGO sector in Montenegro;
• improve relationships with the Government of Montenegro, local governments, the Parliament of Montenegro and the business sector and
• improve the visibility of work and financial visibility of the NGO sector.

Goran Đurović, president of the Managing Board of the NGO Coalition “Through Cooperation to the Aim”

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