Milatović: The Fiscal Council must be the first professional line of defense against populism and unsustainable decisions

The multi-year delay in forming the Fiscal Council is a fundamental fiscal and institutional problem, said the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović.

Today, in the Parliament, he explained the proposals for the election of a member of the Fiscal Council and the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms.

"The Fiscal Council is not just another advisory body: it is a corrective, safety mechanism and one of the pillars of fiscal stability," Milatović said, as announced by his cabinet.

Speaking about the economic picture, he pointed to the need for stronger fiscal rules and realistic projections: "Today we are living a paradox: the economy is growing by two percent, and inflation is five percent, and it should be the other way around."

He said that the Fiscal Council must be "the first professional line of defense against populism and unsustainable decisions."

Milatović, the statement recalls, proposed Stevan Gajević as a member of the Fiscal Council, "after a transparent and professional procedure," emphasizing his many years of work in the financial sector and forensic practice as a guarantee of professional independence and integrity.

At the same time, he proposed to the Parliament to appoint Siniša Bjeković as the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, recalling the "public trust and continuity of the results of the Protector's institution in the previous mandate". "The election of the Protector is not a formality, but a decision on the strength of the institution that should be the first address to the citizen when he feels injustice."

"Someone in Podgorica needs to hear what's happening in Pljevlja"

Referring to air pollution in Pljevlja, Milatović said that it is one of the most serious environmental and health threats in Montenegro, and that the authorities had to show greater responsibility when it comes to solving the situation that is harming the health of the citizens of Pljevlja.

"Someone in Podgorica needs to hear what is happening in Pljevlja, that the other night in Pljevlja several children ended up in the hospital precisely because of the ecological disaster that occurred. We already had to have at least five ministers in Pljevlja today who, together with decision-makers in the Electric Power Industry, should see how to repair the damage. Unfortunately, we do not have a single member of the Government in Pljevlja."

"Children ended up in the hospital so that those who run Elektroprivreda, unknown political parties like Đukanović, could try to save them"

Milatović told reporters, after speaking in the Assembly, that every citizen of Pljevlja should know that the ecological disaster that occurred the other day occurred at the expense of their health.

"I heard that many children from Pljevlja, the mayor told me, ended up in the hospital because of that evening. Those children from Pljevlja who ended up in the hospital ended up there so that those who manage Elektroprivreda, unknown political parties like Mr. Đukanović, could try to save them. This is the only truth for you, the citizens of Pljevlja and the citizens of Montenegro, and someone needs to say this out loud," said Milatović.