Background

On February 8-10, 2008, Montenegrin Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Milan Roćen, together with Defense Minister, H.E. Mr. Boro Vučinić, attended the 44th Munich Conference on Security Policy. On the occasion, NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, confirmed acceptance of Montenegro’s request for initiating an Individual Partner Action Plan (IPAP) with the Alliance, saying “we will work together during the next couple of months so that Montenegrin Euro-Atlantic aspiration could have a positive reply.”

Montenegro’s request for IPAP is in compliance with NATO 26 Foreign Ministers’ statement from December last year by which new partners from Western Balkans were encouraged to develop IPAP. “Montenegro showed that a State may be small but successful” Secretary General Scheffer said, convinced that the IPAP process would provide an important frame to the future practical co-operation between Montenegro and NATO; with this aim, Secretary General Scheffer added that the upcoming Bucharest Summit — to be held on April 2-4 in Romania — would be a chance for NATO “to open its doors to all States of the region, especially Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, that clearly showed that they did not want to remain out.”

Following is the text of the Presentation Document of Montenegro-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan as adopted today, on March 6, in Cabinet meeting by the Government of the Republic of Montenegro, and to be presented on March 11 by Foreign Minister Roćen and Defense Minister Vučinić at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium before its Political Committee (PC), the advisory body to the North Atlantic Council on political questions:

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Presentation Document of
Montenegro-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan
March 6, 2008
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Summary

NATO membership is one of the strategic foreign policy and security priorities of Montenegro. Montenegro sees the NATO as a guarantor of Euro-Atlantic security and as a key partner in strengthening regional and national security. Montenegro actively participates and contributes to the stability and security of the region and in Euro-Atlantic community through active engagement in regional initiatives and processes, as well as through its bilateral and multilateral cooperation with partners and allies. In this context, Montenegro wishes to intensify its cooperation with NATO through the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).

Building upon overall reforms already undertaken and its economic progress, Montenegro wishes to establish a qualitatively new relationship with NATO, which should strengthen our role and responsibility in the stability and security of Euro-Atlantic space.

Montenegro’s legal and institutional framework and administrative capacities are ready to prepare and implement the IPAP. At national level the process of development and implementation of this Action Plan will be supervised by the Council for Partnership for Peace. A special IPAP Commission has been established, with the priority task to develop and implement this Action Plan.

Montenegro feels that through IPAP it can pursue its interests internally, as well as with relation to NATO. For that reason, Montenegro feels that, among other things, the preparation and implementation of IPAP will serve the following purposes:
 Expand cooperation with NATO to the areas related to the process of overall social reforms in political, economic and administrative spheres;
 Strengthen capacity building of Montenegro regarding fight against terrorism, organized crime and corruption, and strengthen security of the borders;
 Strengthen the process of transparency of the defence sector and civil control over armed forces;
 Ensure harmonization of security sector with the NATO standards in order to respond better to contemporary security threats, as well as to achieve interoperability with the structures of the Euro-Atlantic security areas thus giving a more significant contribution to the national, regional and international security;
 Provide more comprehensive public perception regarding the concept of national security and the process of Euro-Atlantic integration of Montenegro, in accordance with the goals of the Communication strategy of Montenegro for the process of Euro-Atlantic integration;
 Strengthen political dialogue, consultations and relations with NATO, i.e. the Allies and partners, including bilateral dialogue with NATO within the EAPC framework and in the 26+1 format; and
 Create preconditions for the engagement of Montenegro in the Intensified dialogue and Membership Action Plan (MAP).

Presentation Document of Montenegro-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan, March 6, 2008

Contents

I.— POLITICAL AND SECURITY ISSUES
1.1. Montenegro and its strategic outlook
1.1.1. Renewal of independence of Montenegro
1.1.2. Foreign and security policy
1.1.3. Security situation, main threats and challenges
1.1.4. Basic elements of the security and defence system
1.1.5. Relations with NATO
1.1.6. EU integration
1.2. Democracy and the rule of law
1.2.1. Constitutional reforms
1.2.2. Human and minority rights
1.2.3. Reform of the judiciary
1.2.4. Reform of the police
1.2.5. Border police and Integrated border management
1.2.6. Fight against corruption and organized crime
1.2.7. Fight against terrorism
1.2.7.1. Suspicious financial transactions related to terrorism
1.2.8. Money laundering
1.2.9. Trafficking in human beings, drugs and arms
1.2.9.1. Trafficking in human beings
1.2.9.2. Trafficking in drugs
1.2.9.3. Trafficking in arms
1.3. Arms Control
1.3.1. Conventional weapons
1.3.2. Chemical, biological and nuclear weapons
1.3.3. Verification centre
1.3.4. Small arms and light weapons
1.4. Democratic control of the armed forces
1.4.1. Constitutional provisions, practice, laws and practice
1.5. Economic development and priorities
1.6. Relations with neighbours and partners
1.6.1. Regional initiatives
1.6.2. Bilateral relations with neighbours, partners and allies
1.7. Cooperation with international organizations
1.7.1. Membership in the UN and specialized agencies
1.7.2. OSCE
1.7.3. Council of Europe

II.— MILITARY AND DEFENSE MATTERS
2.1. Defense reform
2.1.1. Main goals of the defense reform
2.1.2. Strategic Defense Review
2.1.3. PARP
2.2. Defense planning
2.2.1. Planning, programming and budgeting
2.3. Military interoperability
2.3.2. Training and exercises
2.3.3. Contribution possibilities and participation in NATO led operations
2.3.4. Arrangement of efficient support to civil institutions
2.4. Human resources management
2.4.1. System of managing civil and military personnel
2.4.2. Project for re-education and reduction of military personnel
2.5. Excess of military infrastructure and excess of military equipment, ammunition and dangerous, toxic materials
2.5.1. Excess of military infrastructure
2.5.2. Surplus of military equipment, ammunition and dangerous, toxic materials
2.6. Defense expenditure

III.— PUBLIC INFORMATION, SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT AND CRISIS PLANNING ISSUES
3.1. Public diplomacy
3.1.1. Public information policy
3.2. Scientific cooperation
3.3. Challenges of modern society
3.3.1. Environmental security
3.4. Cooperation in planning of crisis situations and readiness for them

IV.— ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS AND INFORMATION SECURITY
4.1. Administrative matters (mechanisms for the coordination of Euro-Atlantic integration)
4.2. Protection of information (implementation of the Agreement on NATO information security)

Website to visit:
 Governmental portal for Euro-Atlantic integration of Montenegro.