Secretary General of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mr Damir Davidović, met today with the Secretary General of the Scottish Parliament, Mr Paul Grice, who was paying a visit to Podgorica as part of the official visit of the President of the Scottish Parliament, Ms Tricia Marwick.

Secretary Generals exchanged views on issues of importance to the work of parliamentary administrations, with special reference to activities carried out in order to strengthen technical support to the work of MPs. Taking into account the similarity of challenges in their work, the importance of the exchange of experience at the level of service of the Parliament was stressed, in order to find a working model that best fitted the specific circumstances of each parliament.

The Secretary General Davidović informed his colleague about the activities that had previously been carried out in this field in the Parliament of Montenegro, particularly in the preparation of the administration to respond more efficiently to the challenges arising from the accession process and the implementation of reforms necessary for quality preparation of the Parliament for the role of the European Union Member State Parliament.

Interlocutors agreed that the strengthening of the parliament was the process that required continuous improvement of skills and knowledge of employees, in order for the support to MPs in making informed decisions be as efficient. In this regard, the importance of strengthening the parliamentary research services was stressed, and their independent and objective work.

The meeting also covered issues of the transparency of the parliament and of the importance of strengthening relations with citizens, especially the younger population.