Human Rights Action (HRA) welcomes the decision of the Legislative Committee and the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget of the Parliament of Montenegro to accept the amendments of MP Maja Vučelić to the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Capital Market, which delete the controversial Articles 92a and 93b.
These provisions envisaged a disproportionate and unconstitutional restriction of freedom of expression in terms of the right to access information, by prohibiting the media, analysts and other experts from disclosing any information about the issuance of government bonds, the non-governmental organization (NGO) announced.
HRA said that on June 3, 2025, they publicly warned the Parliament of Montenegro not to vote for the Bill due to the aforementioned articles, which opened too wide a space for prohibiting the publication and access to information of public interest - including information on the level of public debt, potential economic risks, dubious investments, fiscal instability and political uncertainty. Such information is crucial for creating a realistic picture of the financial situation of the state and for enabling public oversight of the work of the government, the NGO points out.
"Although the justification for the amendment indicates that this ban is potentially being postponed to a later stage of negotiations with the EU, we warn that it is not acceptable at any time. Such a restriction is not necessary in a democratic society and is therefore not in line with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as with the Constitution of Montenegro. Moreover, it would certainly have a deterrent effect on foreign investors because it would present Montenegro as a non-transparent state."
"Freedom of access to information about state administration is the foundation of a democratic society and Montenegro must not introduce solutions that reduce the level of transparency and encourage distrust in institutions," the statement concludes.
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