Votes on constitutional judges threaten Montenegro’s European accession process, say MEPs
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.”
For further information contact:
Office of Mr Vladimír Bilčík, tel. +33 3 88 17 57 79, e-mail: vladimir.bilcik@ep.europa.eu
Office of Mr Tonino Picula, tel. +33 3 88 17 59 48, e-mail: tonino.picula@ep.europa.eu
Contacts:
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Snježana KOBEŠĆAK SMODIŠ
Press Officer