Šaranović: The EU delegation confirmed everything we communicated with the public in the previous period

The EU delegation confirmed everything we communicated with the public in the previous period, said Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović.

He said that it was confirmed that the draft laws on internal affairs and the National Security Agency, as well as the amendments, had been harmonized.

"It has been confirmed that the draft laws on internal affairs and the National Security Agency have been coordinated with the European Commission and that every letter of the submitted amendments to the law on internal affairs has been coordinated, except for part of the old law on internal affairs," said Šaranović.

He pointed out that this does not refer to the current law, but to the norms from the old law that exist and were passed during the time of the former DPS government, and relate to the area of ​​data protection as a person.

He reiterated that he clearly stated that without the adoption of the Law on Internal Affairs, there will be no closure of Chapters 23 and 24, stating that without this, there will be no creation of legal prerequisites that a person with a IV level of education (high school) can be employed in the police.

"Our obligation is to provide 1.900 police officers in the border police alone. Today, we have only 900, of which as many as 600 will meet the retirement requirements in the next 18 months. It is clear to everyone that this is not possible with the current law, which stipulates that employment in the police can only be established with a college or university degree," he said.

He asked "who is bothered by a law that breaks the last limbs of the smuggling and police cartel and who is bothered by a law that will help honorable police officers."

"Who is bothered by a law that allows us to have a police officer in every settlement, every neighborhood, every schoolyard," he asked, adding that it is clear who is bothered by such a law.

"It is completely clear that this law protects the state from the mafia, protects the police from crime, and these are the only reasons why individuals are against the adoption of such a law," he said.

The Director of the Police Administration (UP), Lazar Šćepanović, said that the basis for the adoption of the law is contained in the Constitution of Montenegro. He pointed out that the aim of the law is to strengthen the capacity of the UP.

"It is imperative that we strengthen professional and personal integrity," he said, adding that citizens have the right, and the state is obliged, to enable them for police officers to be politically and ideologically neutral and impartial.

He added that certain interest groups and individuals are questioning certain provisions - on disciplinary procedures and security obstacles to further work in the police profession.

Šcepanović said that 50 police officers, only one of whom is charged with 29 serious and organized crime offenses, have been recorded in the Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA), and that the adoption of the law would help them stop receiving salaries from the state budget.

He also claims that the system must be protected from infiltration by organized crime.

The police director said that police officers will not lose their jobs based on mere information. He said that this is a democratic law that guarantees comprehensive reform.

"The Police Department can't wait to separate the wheat from the chaff... We have police officers whose assets are worth millions, who have between a million and 50 million in their accounts," he said, stating that a clear distinction needs to be made - whether the goal is for the state to take on the mafia or the mafia to take on the state.

Responding to questions from journalists, Šaranović said that the Government unanimously adopted the draft laws, and that the majority in Parliament is convincingly committed to assisting the Ministry of the Interior.

The press conference was organized after the EU Delegation in Podgorica told the media yesterday that the final benchmarks for Chapter 24 (justice, freedom, security) do not require Montenegro to amend the Law on Internal Affairs or the Law on the National Security Agency.

"The European Commission has been consulted on both draft laws and its assessment is that the data protection provisions in both laws are still not aligned with the EU acquis, in particular with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive (LED)," they said.

The delegation pointed to two options - either to align the provisions with the EU acquis before adopting the law, or to adopt the law and align the provisions before closing the accession negotiations.

They say that the European Commission will closely monitor the implementation of the law and "in particular expects the competent authorities to implement merit-based recruitment in the police and establish appropriate procedural guarantees."

Also, as they state, the EC expects Montenegro to ensure that any dismissal is based on justified reasons and that the persons concerned have full access to legal remedies.