Foreign Operations Assistance: Montenegro

United States Department of State
Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia
Foreign Operations Assistance Fact Sheet, April 2012*

MONTENEGRO

United States Government (USG) assistance to Montenegro aims to help the country advance toward Euro-Atlantic integration, increase its ability to fight transnational crime, strengthen its civil society and democratic structures, and provide stability in the Balkans.

Recent Successes by Areas of Focus:

Peace & Security

• The U.S. provided financial and technical support for an interagency special investigative team (SIT), which brought criminal charges against members of the inner circle of one of Europe’s key alleged drug traffickers. As a result of the SIT’s actions, two of Darko Saric’s advisors, including his brother, were arrested in Montenegro and are being tried in Italy. The subjects are accused of laundering over €21 million in currency obtained by cocaine trafficking and illegal banking and financial enterprises.
• The U.S. assisted the Police Directorate in improving their strategic planning capacity, general investigative skills and specialized skills in undercover operations.
• USG programs partnered with local NGOs to conduct a variety of events on NATO, including public discussions, round tables, security conferences, and workshops. Small grants and media training programs provided a focused campaign to increase understanding of Euro-Atlantic institutions.

• BY ACCOUNT	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$10,927	$6,340	$5,261
  Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia	$8,000	$3,140	$0
  Economic Support Fund	$0	$0	$335
  Foreign Military Financing	$1,472	$1,200	$1,200
  International Military Education and Training	$455	$500	$500
  International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement	$0	$0	$1,826
  Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs	$1,000	$1,500	$1,400

  U.S. assistance funded development of a new Marine Surveillance System used by the Border Police to detect and intercept 129 illegal crossings.
• Continued U.S. conventional weapons destruction assistance has enabled Montenegro to demilitarize thousands of tons of excess munitions including all of its cluster bombs, destroy 3,000 small arms/light weapons and 1,554 man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and clear its landmines and explosive remnants of war.
• U.S. assistance continued to prepare the defense establishment for future NATO membership and for partnership in overseas contingency operations. In 2011, the Armed Forces procured radios, associated communications equipment, and training through FMF funding. Twelve Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces personnel where trained in U.S. schools through the IMET program.
• U.S. programs provided capacity building assistance to the Podgorica Basic Court (Montenegro’s largest court, handling more than 50 percent of all cases in the country), which resulted in improved court administration and records archiving, case handling, client services, and transparency.

• BY OBJECTIVE	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$10,927	$6,340	$5,261
  Peace and Security	$3,859	$4,000	$3,702
  Governing Justly and Democratically	$6,773	$2,340	$1,559
  Economic Growth	$295	$0	$0

  The U.S. provided training, equipment donations and technical assistance to the Office of the Special Prosecutor and supported the formation of a multi-agency taskforce specialized in investigation of financial crimes.
• 2011 saw the introduction of plea bargaining under the country’s new Criminal Procedure Code, which drew heavily on U.S. technical assistance. This new tool provides a means of resolving less serious criminal cases short of trial, decreasing the length of proceedings to reduce backlogs.
• A U.S. supported first Annual Corruption Survey in FY 2011 resulted in several follow up stories in the press. It also increased public awareness of the damage corruption brings to the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
• Progress was made in advancing civic participation through targeted small grants contributing to strengthening civil society, human rights, and rule of law efforts.

Economic Growth

• Business registration was substantially streamlined with all documentation now handled through a “one-stop” process. U.S. programs assisted in the transfer of the commercial registry from the Commercial Court to the Tax Administration, simplifying business registration into a straightforward administrative procedure that is in line with international standards.
• USG programs engaged with 13 local governments in the north of the country, various ministries, and a variety of private businesses and tourist and agricultural organizations to enhance their capacity and competitiveness, creating conditions for sustained economic growth that will reduce the economic disparity between the undeveloped north and advanced central and southern regions. USG programs stimulated partnerships between the private and public sectors in all 13 municipalities and trained nearly 500 individuals in target sectors like tourism and agriculture.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Coordinator's Office Annual Reports
U.S. Embassy Website
www.foreignassistance.gov