S&T Country Report - Albania - WBC-INCO Net

1 Introduction
This thematic report is produced by the “Information Office of the Steering Platform
on Research for Western Balkan Countries” and reviews the situation of Innovation
Infrastructures in Montenegro.
The report is based upon desk research, interviews and questionnaires with main
stakeholders.
The objective of this study is to enhance our understanding of the national innovation
system in Montenegro. An overview of the situation as regards “Innovation
Infrastructures” such as clusters, technology and innovation centres, technological
and science parks, business-start-up centres/ technology incubators and some
further related organizations is given. The general environment is described as well
as important strategic documents and the main programmes and instruments for
support. The report concludes with a list and description of the main infrastructures.
The report was compiled in summer 2007.
1.1 General Environment for Setting Up Innovation Infrastructures
The business environment in Montenegro has significantly improved over the past
few years. Ninety one laws have been adopted which have been harmonized with the
EU standards in their greatest part and which have created a solid institutional set-up
for encouraging investments and implementing the economic policy embodied in the
strategic document of the Government of the Republic of Montenegro – Economic
Reform Agenda. The most notable laws adopted in the past period are: the Law on
Business Organizations, Lien Law, Law on Business Organization Insolvency, Law
on Amendments to the Law on Company Insolvency, Law on Fiduciary Transfer of
Property Right, Law on Value Added Tax, Law on Accounting, Foreign Trade Law,
Customs Law (and Law on Amendments to the Law on customs), Law on Free
Zones, Competition Protection Law and further laws. Also, over the past few years
Montenegro has implemented substantial institutional reform in the key sectors such
as: the fiscal system, financial sectors, payment system, pension system,
privatization and restructuring of enterprises.
In February 2007, the Government adopted the Annual Work Programme, which is
based on the strategic documents for certain sector polices, measures of Economic
policy for the current year and the European Partnership Implementation Action Plan.
The programme defines the commitment to draft and adopt 143 laws, out of which 31
relate to the area of political system, internal and foreign policy, 61 to the area of
economic policy and 51 relate to the area of financial system and public
expenditures.
Even though the business environment in Montenegro has significantly improved
recently, the environment entrepreneurs are operating in is still a challenging one,
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