Ανακοινωθέντα

Votes on constitutional judges threaten Montenegro’s European accession process, say MEPs

13 December 2022

Leading MEPs call for a swift political agreement in Montenegro which would end the current government's term and pave the way for new parliamentary elections.

After the representatives of the Montenegrin parliament adopted a law curbing the President's powers and failed to elect judges for the country's Constitutional Court, the Chair of the Delegation for Montenegro Vladimír Bilčík (EPP, SK) and Standing Rapporteur for Montenegro Tonino Picula (S&D, HR) issued the following statement on Tuesday:

"We take note of yesterday's votes in the Parliament of Montenegro. We voice our deep disappointment with the failure to elect judges to the Constitutional Court and with the adoption of the Law on the amendments to the Law on the President. We regret that the Urgent Opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on the amendments to the Law on the President, issued on 9 December 2022, was not taken into consideration during today's votes."

"The adoption of amendments by the governing majority of 41 MPs is a direct challenge to Montenegro's long-standing European ambitions, including respect for constitutionality and principles of the rule of law. Today's votes threaten Montenegro's European accession process and risk pushing Montenegro into a protracted political crisis and constitutional chaos."

"We urge all political stakeholders in the country to rise above their divisions and to restore the functionality of the country's democratic institutions in line with constitutional principles as a matter of absolute urgency. We encourage leaders across the political spectrum to work on Montenegro's long-standing commitment to EU membership and accelerate EU integration reforms and meet the expectations of the overwhelming majority of Montenegrin citizens who support their country's future in the EU."

"Much to our regret, no negotiating chapters have been closed in the last five years. The political developments of the past few months have called into question Montenegro's position as a front-runner in the EU accession process. We therefore urge a swift political agreement to end the current government's term in office without further delay and pave the way for new parliamentary elections."

Statement by EU-Montenegro SAPC Co-Chair Vladimír Bilčík on the cancellation of the 21st EU-Montenegro SAPC meeting in Strasbourg

Strasbourg, 13 December 2022

"The meeting was cancelled due to the adoption of the controversial Law on amendments to the Law on the President by the Parliament of Montenegro last night, which goes directly against the urgent opinion of the Venice Commission of 9 December and rejects calls by the EU to the contrary. The adoption of amendments by the governing majority of 41 MPs is a direct challenge to Montenegro's long-standing European ambitions, including respect for constitutionality and the principles of rule of law.

I spoke to Speaker and Co-Chair Ms Danijela Đurović and we agreed that the cancellation of the meeting is in the interest of preserving good relations between the European Parliament and the Parliament of Montenegro and of protecting Montenegro's European perspective. This was not my preferred option, but due to the current political context, it is not suitable to hold a joint SAPC meeting in Strasbourg on 14-15 December.

Speaker Đurović and I agreed to keep the channels of communication open about the possibility of a future EU-Montenegro SAPC meeting."

Second Citizens’ Assembly held in Montenegro

The European Parliament, along with the Parliament of Montenegro, organised the Second Citizens' Assembly in Montenegro on 24 and 25 September 2022. The first one took place on 30 and 31 October 2021.

The Citizens' Assembly is an innovative tool of democracy, composed of randomly selected citizens who debate issues of utmost importance for their country.

50 citizens met in Podgorica to discuss how the country could improve its anti-corruption policies. In particular, citizens discussed with Representatives of the political groups from the Parliament of Montenegro a series of measures to tackle corruption in the education and health sectors. The participants approved a series of concrete recommendations, including measures enhancing transparency in the recruitment of civil servants and limiting "sliding doors" between public and private sector for health professionals.

With this initiative, the European Parliament reaffirms its commitment to empowering citizens and strengthening parliamentary democracy through citizens' participation.

The civil society organisations Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) and Centre for Democratic Transition (CDT) are partners in this project.

Montenegro: political tensions slow progress of EU-related reforms, Brussels, 23 June 2022

Parliament says Montenegro should advance its electoral and judicial reforms and its fight against organised crime and corruption.

MEPs welcome Montenegro's continued commitment to European integration, repeating their position that the country's progress in the accession process continues to depend on meeting the conditions related to the rule of law.

In a report adopted on Thursday with 506 votes in favour, 50 against and 35 abstentions, they are disappointed that since 2017, none of the negotiations on 33 screened accession chapters have been closed, slowing Montenegro's positive track record and status as the country in the Western Balkans furthest along in the EU's accession process.

Please find the full text of the press release under the link here below.

Statement by the Chair of the EU-Montenegro SAPC on the adoption of the EP's 2021 Report on Montenegro, 23-06-2022

Brussels, 23 June 2022

Statement by MEP Vladimír Bilčík, Chair of the EU-Montenegro SAPC, following the adoption of the European Parliament's 2021 Report on Montenegro:

"The 2021 Report adopted by the Parliament reflects clearly that Montenegro is a front-runner in the EU accession process. It is now time for political leaders in Montenegro to focus on closing chapters and clusters by delivering on outstanding commitments and reforms.

Following months of uncertainty due to the political crisis in the country in late 2021 and early 2022, the recent political developments show positive signs in that Montenegro can move forward on its EU path. The EP's 2021 Report underlines the importance of broad cross-party consensus on Montenegro's strategic European choice. In this respect, the role of the Montenegrin parliament will be crucial when it comes to Podgorica's decisive progress towards EU membership.

The European Parliament appreciates Montenegro's continuous 100% alignment to the EU's foreign policy, especially in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. I would like to encourage the political leaders in the country to keep working towards EU membership without hesitation. Joining the EU and becoming the next EU member state is a realistic political and strategic goal, which reflects the expectations and the will of an overwhelming majority of Montenegrin citizens."

Montenegro Report: Political tensions slowing progress of EU-related reforms, 12 May 2022


Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs say Montenegro should advance its electoral and judicial reforms and its fight against organised crime and corruption.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs welcomed Montenegro's continued commitment to European integration and underlined that the country's progress in the accession process continues to depend on meeting the conditions related to the rule of law.

In a report adopted on Thursday with 64 votes in favour, 7 against ansd 4 abstentions, MEPs regret that since 2017 none of the 33 screened chapters have been closed, slowing down Montenegro's positive track record and status of most advanced Western Balkans country in the EU's accession process.

New government's political resolve could push reform process

The report calls for an inclusive political dialogue and the commitment of all parliamentary parties in Montenegro to overcoming the current polarised political climate. MEPs say this is crucial to achieve the political stability necessary for the country to continue with its substantial progress in key EU-related reforms, in particular electoral and judicial reforms and the fight against organised crime and corruption.


MEPs welcome a new minority government composed of pro-European parties, especially in light of the recent Russian invasion in Ukraine and the continuing influence of pro-Russian political parties and narratives in Montenegro. The new government's political resolve could help accelerate the much needed reform process, reflecting both the work already done on European values and the overwhelming will of Montenegro's citizens to join the European Union.

Growing volume of foreign and domestic disinformation campaigns

They welcome Montenegro's continued and full alignment with EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, including its condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its full support for the latest EU sanctions against Russia. The report also encourages the European Commission to consider EU economic and financial assistance for Western Balkans countries that have joined EU sanctions against Russia to mitigate their effects on countries like Montenegro.

MEPs are concerned by the growing volume of foreign and domestic disinformation campaigns and cyber and hybrid threats, including from Russia and China. Noting that foreign interference can also be pursued through the instrumentalisation of religious institutes, they call for religious tolerance in line with the Montenegrin constitution and European values and principles.

The rapporteur Tonino Picula (S&D, HR) said: "In the report, we again expressed our continued support for Montenegro's European integration. We also noted the difficulties in progressing on the path to EU integration, the implementation of reforms, and meeting the expectations of the citizens of Montenegro, who support EU membership by a large percentage. The report also expresses the unanimous position of pro-European political groups in the European Parliament for identifying all the shortcomings that need to be addressed quickly. We hope that the new government will not face the old government's problems; will be more operational and enjoy continuous support of the Montenegrin Parliament."


Joint statement by MEPs Tonino Picula and Vladimír Bilčík on the election of the new government in Montenegro, 29 April 2022

Following the election of the Prime Minister and the new government in Montenegro, the European Parliament's standing rapporteur for Montenegro Tonino Picula (S&D, HR) and the European Parliament's Chair of the Delegation for Montenegro Vladimír Bilčík (EPP, SK) issued the following statement on Friday.

"We welcome yesterday's vote in the Montenegrin Parliament and congratulate the newly elected Prime Minister Abazović and his government and the newly elected Speaker Đurović of the Montenegrin Parliament for their respective elections.

We look forward to working together with our partners on Montenegro's path to the European Union.

While in recent months Montenegro has lost some valuable time on its European journey, we believe that the new government's political resolve could help accelerate much needed reform process reflecting both the work on European values and the overwhelming will of Montenegro's citizens to join the European Union."

Background

On 4 February 2022 the non-partisan government led by Zdravko Krivokapić, received a vote of no confidence, called by the smallest coalition bloc, Black on White (URA), and opposition parties, which deepened Montenegro's political instability. The election of the 43rd government comes after several months of political polarisation and lack of progress in EU reforms. The term of the new government has been announced to be one year, and early parliamentary elections may take place in spring 2023.

Joint statement by MEPs Tonino Picula and Vladimír Bilčík on recent developments in Montenegro, 8 February 2022

"We continuously monitor the political developments in Montenegro and we commend the recent peaceful transitions in line with Montenegro's constitution. We call for the continued respect for democratic processes, norms and standards during these times.

In light of the stalemate during recent weeks, we urge Montenegrin leaders to move swiftly towards forming a new government and electing a new speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament.

Paving the way towards a stable parliamentary majority and moving Montenegro forward on the reform process is of essence; no more time should be lost.

Political inaction limits the country's reform agenda, and consequently, its EU accession ambitions. Montenegro is the most advanced country among the EU candidate countries and already integrated in the North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Montenegro needs a predictable and stable parliamentary majority and a pro-European government that will lead the country to the EU. We will support political decisions that will be based on European standards and respect European values, reflecting the wish and will of citizens. EU membership, after all, is the wish of an overwhelming majority of Montenegro's citizens."

Joint statement of 2 December on the 20th EU‑Montenegro SAPC meeting

Following the 20th meeting of the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC), Co-Chairs Aleksa Bečić from the Montenegrin side and MEP Vladimír Bilčík stated:

"We take it as a positive sign that the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee has adopted a declaration and recommendations and that members of both parliaments had the opportunity for a frank and constructive debate.

We welcome Montenegro's continued commitment to and engagement in the EU integration process and its Euro-Atlantic orientation. We also welcome the fact that Montenegro is the most advanced in the EU accession negotiations, being the only candidate country that has opened all negotiating chapters, and has already closed three of them. The European Parliament continues to support Montenegro's accession to the EU, in which meeting the interim benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24 will remain pivotal in determining how fast the country will join the EU.

We urge all political forces in the country to rise above their divisions and differences to achieve consensus on key issues and continue to move forward on the EU integration path. In that respect a broad cross-party, constructive and inclusive dialogue is essential for Montenegro to continue key reforms with real deliverables, especially in terms of electoral legislation and prosecutorial appointments.

We welcome the continuation of the work of the Committee on Electoral Legislation Reform and expect the Committee to relaunch the long overdue electoral reform. We commend the efforts of the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro to strengthen the legislative and oversight function of the Parliament. We stress that a functioning parliament is key to Montenegro's progress in the accession negotiations and encourage the Parliament to address the backlog of legislative initiatives awaiting parliamentary debate. We call on all political forces in the Skupština Crne Gore to engage in a constructive, meaningful and inclusive dialogue in the parliament, which is key to a successful parliamentary democracy.

We stress the need for a cooperative and constructive cohabitation between the President, Skupština and the Government of Montenegro in the interest of Montenegrin citizens and aimed at ensuring the functionality of Montenegrin institutions and with a view to accelerating the country's progress on its EU path.

We encourage the Montenegrin Government and the Parliament to consistently consult with its European partners, in line with the agreed procedures, before amending key laws, in order to proceed in an inclusive and transparent manner and on the basis of a broader social consensus.

Background

Mr Aleksa Bečić is the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, while Mr Vladimír Bilčík chairs the EP Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee.

Joint statement by MEPs Tonino Picula and Vladimír Bilčík on the situation in Montenegro, 6 September 2021

"We have followed the weekend events in Montenegro with great concern and we categorically condemn all violent acts that occurred both on Saturday and Sunday in connection to the inauguration of Joanikije II. Montenegro should uphold fully its obligations to defend the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of speech, while also respecting a variety of religious rights of its citizens.

Montenegro is an EU candidate country where political and religious leaders have a particular responsibility to reflect in their decisions on overwhelming support that Montenegro's citizens give to EU accession. We urge all stakeholders to contribute actively to lowering of tensions in the society and to upholding Montenegro's commitment to a modern, democratic, multi-confessional and multi-ethnic society. Political instrumentalisation of one's religious beliefs is not compatible with Montenegro's ongoing reform process and successful EU accession. It reflects poorly on Montenegro's international standing and long history of peaceful co-existence among people of many faiths and ethnic backgrounds."