Ambassador of Montenegro Pays Courtesy Visit to the Minister of Public Administration

Dragan Tufegdžić has served as Montenegro's Ambassador to Slovenia since September last year, and is currently conducting a series of introductory courtesy meetings. There are no outstanding political issues between the two countries, and relations remain excellent at all levels.

In light of Montenegro's ongoing public administration reform, Minister Franc Props presented examples of Slovenian best practice. Particular attention was devoted to reforming the public sector salary system.  Minister Props explained that transitioning from the old salary scale to the new one represented an exceptionally complex modernisation process, involving around 5,000 different job positions and approximately 188,000 public sector employees. Public employees will receive the final salary increase gradually, in several tranches. Notably, as of 1 January 2025, no public employee receives a salary below the minimum wage. 

The meeting also covered other topics. Montenegro remains among a key recipient of Slovenian development assistance, and the two countries collaborate closely on defence matters, further strengthening their partnership within NATO. Slovenia is a steadfast advocate for Montenegro's European perspective, as Montenegro is the leading candidate for European Union membership. Its concrete progress also sets a positive example for other countries in the region.