At the ceremony, which was held in the State Villa “Gorica”, Vice President Simović reminded that “the Democracy Workshops project was first launched in the Austrian Parliament, at the initiative of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Austria Ms Barbara Prammer, after whom the Democracy Workshops in Montenegro were named. The Parliament of Montenegro started implementing the project in October 2012, with financial support by the ERSTE foundation, and in cooperation with the NGO Forum Youth and Informal Education. As of last year, the Parliament of Montenegro has been implementing this project independently, using its own financial and human resources. In addition to the Parliament of Austria, Montenegrin Parliament is the only one in Europe which is implementing such programme”. 

Vice President Simović said that “in the course of less than three years, a total of 14,620 primary school students and 878 teachers participated in Democracy Workshops and visited the Parliament of Montenegro, and in that manner about 20% of children ages 8 to 15 participated in the workshops, and over 65% primary schools in Montenegro from almost all Montenegrin municipalities”. Vice President Simović pointed out that this data says “that the Parliament of Montenegro has the capacities to successfully organise such activities which provides additional stimulation for further strengthening of relations between the parliament and the citizens”.

Vice President Simović sad to everyone who had participated in Democracy Workshops that they were “a strong guarantee of future development of democracy in our society, of further affirmation of the European Union and the values that are nourished by the family of the European peoples and states and further promotion of human rights, tolerance, non-discrimination and interculturalism”.

Prior to the presentation of certificates, students of the primary school “Božidar Vuković Podgoričanin” presented themselves with motivational speeches on the topic “Democracy from the viewpoint of a child”, and a video feature on impressions of children from democracy workshops, which were prepared by children in cooperation with their trainers.

Democracy Workshops “Barbara Prammer” is the educational programme of the Parliament of Montenegro, aimed at encouraging the interest of young people in politics and democratic processes and provide them with an opportunity to become familiar with the work of MPs and Parliament.