The analysis of the work of the Government clearly shows that the EU agenda was not a priority of the Government of Dritan Abazović, which is paradoxical given that it was elected on the basis of that platform, and the Assembly did not fulfill its obligations either.
Ana Nenezić, from the Institute for Socio-Political Research Analitiko, assessed this for "Vijesti", commenting on the effects of umbrella institutions since the publication of the last report on Montenegro's progress towards the European Union, in October last year.
A new EC progress report should be published this week.
"Since the publication of the last report of the European Commission (EC), Montenegro has not produced the expected results, neither in the technical nor in the political sense," Nenezić said.
She emphasized that the expressed political will can be highlighted as positive, which created the basis for a stronger fight against organized crime and corruption at a high level.
"It is true that the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) has initiated several important processes, but we need to wait to see how they will end in order to appreciate their success. A positive result is also the economic activity that contributed to the decline of the external debt, and this should certainly be emphasized".
On the order of the SDT, several former heads of the Montenegrin judiciary, prosecutor's office, security and police sector, state and local administration were arrested and then prosecuted... Most of them are accused of creating criminal organizations, drug and cigarette smuggling, and some of them for abuse of official position.
EC experts stated in last year's report that it is necessary to strengthen concrete results in court decisions on tobacco smuggling and money laundering, the use of financial investigations and capacities for the confiscation of proceeds of crime.
She emphasized that, when looking at the results within chapter 23 - Judiciary and fundamental rights, it can be seen that the report on the fulfillment of the temporary benchmarks, which was announced in 2018, is still awaited.
"Until today, these benchmarks have not been met or reached. Without their fulfillment, we cannot get the final benchmarks for that chapter, and without that there is no progress in other areas either, because it is a prerequisite. Regarding the other negotiation chapters, that is, now the cluster, the situation is not any better", Nenezić said.
In last year's EC report, Montenegro recommended that in 2023, it should ensure the consolidation of the appointment of key judicial functions based on the merits of individuals who can act independently, impartially and with integrity. This, as they explained, includes members of the Judicial Council, the Supreme State Prosecutor and judges of the Constitutional Court.
Appointments in the judiciary are still not completed. The Assembly elected three judges of the Constitutional Court from the missing four. Regarding the fourth candidate for US judge, Faruk Resulbegović, who did not receive support in the first round of voting, the Assembly should decide by re-voting in the second round, when he will need a three-fifths majority of deputies to be elected.
In the parliamentary procedure, in various stages, there are also proposals for the election of the Supreme State Prosecutor (VDT), for which the Prosecutorial Council proposed Maja Jovanović, and proposals for the remaining three members of the Judicial Council.
In the last report, the EC drew attention to the need to ensure the effective independence and professionalism of the judiciary, by essentially dealing with all the remaining recommendations of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), and fully and unequivocally implementing the corresponding constitutional and legal frame.
In last year's report, GRECO made more than 20 recommendations, where, among other things, it was assessed that the competent authorities of Montenegro should introduce integrity checks of members of the Government and police representatives, before appointing them to positions, in order to prevent possible conflicts of interest.
"As stated in the last non-paper, we have lost focus on key reforms. The technical part of the process was neglected, and thus important opportunities were missed," she warned.
She recalled that the majority of the Government's mandate was without the Minister for EU Integration and the chief negotiator, and the negotiation structure was dysfunctional and without support, which was reflected in the visible results of the work.
Former Vice-President of Abazović's Government and Minister of European Affairs, Jovana Marović, resigned from those positions on November 25 last year, and the Ministry was simultaneously managed by the Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, Ana Novaković Đurović.
"The report we expect in a few days will not be better than last year's, but I believe it will contain more moderate wording in order to appreciate the readiness of political structures for agreement and the formation of key institutions - the Assembly and the Government," Nenezić said.
She assessed that it is important to emphasize that the Parliament has not fulfilled its obligations, nor can the work of the embassy in Brussels, which plays an important role, be praised, especially in the context of the reports we receive.
Last year's EC report suggested that the parliament should demonstrate in practice its commitment to the reform agenda of Montenegro towards the EU and work to overcome deep polarization. It is indicated that the cooperation between the government and the parliament should be further regulated in order to increase the role of the parliament in the supervision of the accession process.
The report stated that relations between the parliament and the executive should be regulated by the Law on the Assembly.
The adoption of the Law on the Assembly did not progress further than the formation of a committee that would deal with that issue. Although it was supposed to be ready by October 15 last year, the draft law on the Assembly has not yet been completed.
In the EC report for 2022, it was emphasized that the government and the Parliament failed to demonstrate in practice their commitment to the reform agenda in relation to the European Union.
Nenezić assessed that the experience of Abazović's government indicates that a bad or inadequate personnel policy in key positions can significantly slow down and complicate the process, and that is why it is important to be careful with personnel solutions.
Otherwise, the potential positive results of the Government in the field of EU integration will not be recognized by European partners, nor will they find their place in the reports of the European Commission. That report is a mirror for all participants in the process and provides a clear picture, as well as guidelines for the future path and actions".
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