Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, during a visit to Montenegro on Wednesday 21 December, said that the country should quickly overcome its political and institutional crisis by appointing judges to the constitutional court (see EUROPE 13083/26).
“It is high time that Montenegro overcomes a deep political and institutional crisis. This is why the establishment of a functional constitutional court and the appointment of constitutional judges is necessary”, Ms Fajon stressed.
Regretting the “ongoing polarisation of the population and the political landscape”, Mr Schallenberg stressed the importance of well-functioning democratic institutions. He called for a solution as soon as possible on the appointment of judges, hoping that steps in the process will have been taken by the end of January. “This is the first step and others will have to follow, because we want Montenegro to continue on its European path. Anything else would be bad for the region and a disaster for the people living in the country”, he added.
Visiting the country at the request of the High Representative of the Union, the ministers met with the President, Milo Đukanović, the Speaker of the Parliament, Danijela Đurović, and the Acting Prime Minister, Dritan Abazović. They will brief their counterparts and the High Representative on their visit at the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council on 23 January. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)