WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J.
The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, issued decrees on the promulgation of ten IBAR laws that were adopted in the previous days in the Parliament of Montenegro.
As he announced earlier, for reasons known to the public, he returned the Law on the National Public Broadcaster - Public Media Service of Montenegro to the Assembly for reconsideration, which reduces the criteria for the selection of RTCG directors from the valid 10 to five years of work experience.
- I believe that the adopted solution ignores the importance of the public service and calls into question its editorial independence, especially appreciating the views of the professional public on the issue in question. Also, I am of the opinion that the adopted changes represent a step backwards in relation to the current solution, and that they are contrary to comparative practice and the concept of strengthening management responsibility and professionalism - stated Milatović in the press release.
He also returned the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Judicial Council and Courts to the Assembly for re-decision.
- Namely, the adopted Law foresees that the president and members of the Judicial Council from the ranks of distinguished lawyers, whose mandate ends due to the expiration of the term for which they were elected, continue to perform their duties until the election of new members, and for a maximum of two years. I pointed out that the aforementioned solution is questionable in the context of compliance with Amendment VIII paragraph 7 of the Constitution of Montenegro, which established that the mandate of the Judicial Council lasts four years. By applying the adopted decision, membership in the Judicial Council for eminent lawyers could, de facto, be extended up to six years, which is longer than the limit prescribed by the Constitution. Also, the members of the Judicial Council from the ranks of distinguished lawyers, in this way, are placed in a different legal position compared to other members of the Council. In addition, I pointed out that in terms of expediency, such a solution relativizes in advance the obligation of competent institutions to, in accordance with the constitutional obligations, undertake activities in a timely manner in order to fill vacant positions in the Judicial Council - explained Milatović.
He notes that Montenegro's membership in the European Union, in the past year of his mandate, was one of the most important pillars of his activities, and he promoted the idea of joining the EU in 2028, as he says, in the country and abroad, despite numerous skeptics.
- Therefore, I hope that in the time ahead, the policy of striks will be replaced by the efforts of all institutional actors in Montenegro to, through their actions, work on the fundamental progress of our society, based on the full rule of law and respect for the Constitution and laws. Finally, it is important to state that, regardless of the qualitatively questionable legislative process that accompanied the adoption of these laws, significant work was done in order to meet the temporary standards and obtain a positive IBAR. Therefore, I would like to congratulate all civil servants and other actors in the previous and current Government, as well as in the previous and current convocation of the Parliament of Montenegro, who contributed to the completion of this important stage of our EU path, on the achieved result - said Milatović.
