A strike at Montenegro’s State Audit Institution (DRI) is putting the completion and parliamentary submission of the 2025 state budget audit under pressure, with the institution facing a deadline linked to the country’s financial-control obligations.
Employees launched a general strike, citing unresolved demands over pay as well as the financial and operational independence of the institution. The disruption has raised concerns about whether the audit of the state’s 2025 final budget accounts can be completed and published within the required timeframe. The DRI has a deadline for publishing the audit. DRI Senate President has warned that the work stoppage could prevent the audit from reaching parliament on schedule. The audit process was reportedly nearing completion before employees went on strike, leaving a limited period for the remaining work and the required parliamentary process.
The dispute also concerns the functioning of Montenegro’s public financial-control system. Parliamentary examination of final budget accounts forms part of the country’s obligations under EU Chapter 32. Auditors have argued that the government has not implemented parliamentary conclusions aimed at improving their position. Čađenović has additionally connected the dispute with the institution’s practical independence.
For investors and lenders, public oversight of budget execution and the use of state funds is part of the institutional framework surrounding public finances. The current risk relates to a potential interruption of the audit process and does not indicate that irregularities have been identified in the accounts being examined. The government and DRI employees therefore have a limited timeframe to resolve the dispute, with the completion of the audit and its submission to parliament remaining the immediate procedural requirement.
