On Thursday 3 June, the co-chairs of the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, Vladimír Bilčík (EPP, Slovakia) and Aleksa Bečić, called for a genuine political dialogue in the Montenegrin Parliament (Skupština Crne Gore), of which Mr Bečić is the president.
“We call on all political forces in the newly elected Skupština Crne Gore to engage in a constructive, meaningful and inclusive dialogue in parliament, which is the key to a successful parliamentary democracy”, the two men said in a joint statement. In their view, there is a need for a broad, cross-party political consensus - both from the ruling majority and the opposition - on the basic elements for moving forward on EU membership.
Regretting the decision of part of the opposition to boycott parliamentary activity, Mr Bilčík and Mr Bečić hoped that political dialogue could be fully restored, and called on opposition MPs to take their seats. “It is very important that political dialogue takes place in Skupština Crne Gore. A fully functioning parliament is essential for Montenegro’s path to EU membership”, they added.
More broadly, the two men highlighted the need for a cooperative and constructive cohabitation between the President, the Parliament and the Government of Montenegro.
The co-chairs also called for “concrete and tangible results” on the issue of Rule of law in Montenegro, including in the areas of freedom of expression and the media. More work is needed to increase the independence, transparency, accountability and efficiency of all judicial institutions and to establish a credible record in the fight against corruption and organised crime at all levels, they added.
Finally, Mr Bilčík and Mr Bečić asked the European Commission to explore ways to help Montenegro to diversify its credit portfolio and to strengthen the country's financial stability and independence at a time when it is increasingly financially dependent on foreign countries, especially China.
See the press release: https://bit.ly/3w3Jcfz (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)