Chapter 26 covers education and training, youth and sport, culture, access to education, programs and other EU instruments. These areas are the responsibility of the Member States, which implement them in a spirit of cooperation and respect for recommendations in this area.

Education and training: The field of education and training covers the modalities, development and current strategic framework of cooperation between EU countries, key Open Methods of Coordination (OMC) initiatives, and the strategic objectives of the European Education and Training Cooperation Framework ET 2020. The priority of this framework is the principle of lifelong learning and mobility that will be promoted through Erasmus +. This program is inherited from the education program in which Montenegro has participated so far – Tempus, Erasmus Mundus and the Lifelong Learning Program, the Youth in Action Program, as well as the Jean Monnet Program, which fosters familiarization with the European integration process in all fields through the creation of teaching and learning activities. research in the field of European integration inside and outside the European Community, while maintaining the principles of all programs to date. Montenegro has been part of the Erasmus program since 2014 and participation in this program has enabled further continuation of reforms in the higher education system, strengthening of human resources for participation in EU programs, connecting with reputable EU institutions, through a large number of capacity building projects.

The Erasmus + program will continue to promote the international dimension of activities, multilingualism, equality and inclusive access to education.

Youth policy: The EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027) is designed to create equal opportunities for education and participation in the labor market for young people across Europe, as well as to encourage them to become active citizens of society. The strategy is implemented through cooperation with Member States, structured dialogue, youth work and promotes the proactive participation of young people in all structures of European society, increasing their mobility and interaction through supporting exchanges, initiatives and activities in the field of youth action.

Culture in the EU: Although Europe’s main asset lies in the richness of different cultures, namely languages, literature, theater, film, dance, art, architecture of particular countries or regions, the EU proudly emphasizes a common cultural heritage. Montenegro participates in the Creative Europe 2014-2020 program, which integrates previous Culture 2007-2013, MEDIA and MEDIA MUNDUS programs. The focus of this program is to promote the economic and social role of the culture and creative industries by co-financing project activities, while the specific objectives are to preserve cultural and linguistic diversity in Europe, to strengthen the financial capacity and competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors and to promote the transnational circulation of works and the mobility of cultural creators.

When was the chapter open and temporarily closed?

Chapter 26 – Education and Culture opened and provisionally closed on 15 April 2013 at the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, without benchmarks for opening and closing the Chapter.

Institutions / organizations participating in the negotiation group?

The Ministry of Education is responsible for planning, implementing and revising education policy in Montenegro. Education policy-making involves the cooperation of all relevant actors directly or indirectly responsible for education, such as competent ministries, non-governmental organizations and other institutions, including: Agency for the Control and Quality Assurance in Higher Education, National Council for Education, Council for Education higher education and the Qualifications Council; The Committee on General Education, the Committee on Vocational Education and the Committee on Adult Education as bodies of the National Council which are based on the principle of social partnership; Center for Vocational Education, Exam Center Center for Textbooks and Teaching Aids and the Directorate for Youth.

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for the creation and implementation of cultural policy. The National Program for the Development of Culture 2016 – 2020 is a long-term projection of the reforms of Montenegro’s cultural policy and includes the cultural policies of the European Union, the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The Government of Montenegro has established a National Council for Culture which monitors the situation in certain fields and activities in the field of culture and assists in the development and implementation of laws relating to culture.

The Ministry of Sport and Youth is responsible for implementing the Youth Strategy 2019-2027.

In addition to the ministries already mentioned, the working group includes representatives of the Office for European Integration, the Examination Center of Montenegro, the Employment Service of Montenegro, the Institute for Education, the Committee for European Integration in the Parliament of Montenegro, the Union of Employers of Montenegro, the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro. Trade Unions of Montenegro, Union of Trade Unions of Montenegro, University of Montenegro, University of Donja Gorica, University of the Mediterranean, Student Parliament of the University of Montenegro, National Museum of Montenegro, Central National Library “Đurđe Crnojevic”, Center for Contemporary Art of Montenegro, Montenegrin Cinema, Non-Governmental organizations Center for Democratic Transition, NGO Red Cross Cetinje, NGOs Montenegrin Literary Cooperative, NGO Center for Civic Education and NGO Tolerance.

What is the benefit to Montenegro of this chapter?

The active inclusion of our country in the framework of EU educational policy, provides the opportunity for lifelong learning; long-term mobility; quality and efficiency of education and training; increasing the quality and efficiency of education; training in accordance with the new requirements of modern society; creating high quality education accessible to each individual according to his or her potential; improving student achievement and their competencies based on applied and practical knowledge; improvement of school infrastructure, professional knowledge and competences of teachers; developing a system of monitoring and improving the quality of education in schools; improving the quality of textbooks and teaching aids; strengthening the partnership of parents, institutions and the local community; improving the quality of life of each individual; ensuring equality and social inclusion; economic and democratic development; the availability of education and training for all in terms of lifelong learning, faster employment, career advancement, population mobility and social equality; opening up society and the state to the world in the field of education and culture in order to connect work and society more quickly. Finally, by joining the European Union, Montenegro provides its citizens with the right to move, work and live freely within the European Union.

Montenegro’s goal is to set up an EU Programs Agency by the date of EU accession in order to improve quality in education and improve quality at all levels. Continued efforts are being made to meet the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy, in particular those related to increasing the coverage of children with pre-school education, better alignment of education and labor market needs and strengthening internationalization. For sports, which will also be covered by Erasmus +, cooperation and networking of sports organizations and project support that can indirectly contribute to mitigating social and economic aspects of physical inactivity is a priority.