Eurostat: Census by standards

The European Statistical Institute, Eurostat, expects that Montenegro will conduct the population census in accordance with all international and EU standards.

Eurostat, responding to questions from "Vijesti", said that EU legislation does not mention elections, but also does not include issues of ethnicity, religion and language.

They remind that the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) recommends that the time of the census does not overlap with major political events, such as national or local election campaigns.

"In their recommendations, it is not mentioned that the population census should not be held in the same year as the elections", they state in the reply from Eurostat.

At its session last week, the government decided that the population census would be held from November 1 to 15, in accordance with the Law on the Census that was adopted by the Parliament at the end of last year.

Monstat announced that the campaign on the upcoming census will begin before the summer, which means that it is unlikely that, if international recommendations are followed, there will be extraordinary parliamentary elections this year.

Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic on Friday, he said that at the end of 2023, Montenegro must have statistical data on the basis of which it will create public policies. "That is our obligation, it is not related to the elections," Abazović told reporters in the Assembly.

The regular ten-year population census was supposed to be held in 2021, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus.

Citizens will answer questions about nationality and religion, as well as language, if they wish.

"EU census legislation does not include issues of ethnicity, religion and language. Each member state decides whether to collect such data during the census. UNECE recommends that national decisions on data collection on these sensitive and secondary census topics be based on inclusive public consultation and the principle of free self-declaration. We expect that the population census in Montenegro will be conducted in accordance with all EU and international standards", Eurostat said.

The last census in Montenegro was held in 2011, when 45 percent of citizens declared themselves as Montenegrins, and almost 29 percent as Serbs. 8,65 percent declared themselves Bosniaks, 4,91 percent Albanians, 3,31 percent Muslims and 0,97 percent Croats.