EU Delegation: All political actors to reach an agreement and jointly support key European reforms in the Parliament

All political actors must act without delay to reach a broad political agreement and jointly support key European reforms in the Parliament.

This was told to "Vijesti" today by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Montenegro.

"Vijesti" asked the Delegation: whether it believes that there are no longer any obstacles to inviting the Venice Commission to get involved in resolving the case of former Constitutional Court judge Dragana Đuranović, since the Basic Court in Podgorica declared itself incompetent to act in her case; if it does not, what should be the next steps in resolving the political crisis caused by the Đuranović case; whether the Head of the EU Delegation Johan Sattler received an answer from the "Venetians" when they could give an opinion on the termination of Đuranović's position in the Constitutional Court and what it could be (about which decision/act); when Sattler plans to organize the next meeting of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić with representatives of part of the opposition on resolving the political crisis.

"While we cannot comment on specific discussions, the EU Delegation regularly communicates with various stakeholders in Montenegro. All political actors must act without delay to reach a broad political agreement and jointly support key European reforms in the Parliament," the Delegation said.

"Vijesti" recently reported that Sattler, as the host of the meeting between the Prime Minister and the leader of the Europe Now Movement (PES) Spajić and the leaders of the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and Social Democrats (SD), Danijel Živković and Damir Šehović, held on February 24, undertook to ask the "Venetians" when they could give their opinion on the Đuranović case and what it could be, without disrupting the work of domestic courts, which were dealing with a lawsuit filed by a former judge against parliament due to the termination of her office.

Spajić, Živković and Šehović discussed the possibilities for overcoming the political crisis caused by the Đuranović case, namely the decision of the Parliament to, without mandatory notification of the Constitutional Court, declare in mid-December last year that her judicial function in that judicial institution had ceased under the Pension and Disability Insurance Act (PIO).

She claims that she was discriminated against and that this should have been done according to the labor act.

At the meeting hosted by Sattler, which was also attended by two of Spajić's colleagues from PES, the key contentious issue between the government and the opposition was not resolved - the issue of an agreement to be signed by the two camps - which needs to be concluded in order to normalize the work of the Parliament after the expiry of the sentence of the opposition MPs who were removed from the plenary hall.

DPS insists that the government initial an agreement with the opposition that would introduce a moratorium on amendments to the Constitution and the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, while PES offers the government's "Barometer 26" platform, which would put "polarizing issues" aside.

According to information from "Vijesti", the previously almost concluded agreement for the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the Đuranović case, which everyone would accept, has also become complicated.

As "Vijesti" reported, Spajić's proposal to seek the opinion of the "Venetians" was allegedly acceptable at the meeting, but the Prime Minister said that because of his "Taliban for the rule of law", he found it objectionable that Đuranović had in the meantime sued the Parliament in court, so it would not be good to degrade domestic courts.

Most opposition MPs are unable to attend plenary sessions because Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić suspended them in early February for preventing the session that was supposed to decide on the budget (which was eventually adopted). The opposition obstructed the work of the Assembly because the ruling majority did not accept their request to annul the conclusion of the Constitutional Committee and Mandić's statement that Đuranović had ceased to hold her office because she had fulfilled the conditions for retirement under the PIO Law. The opposition claims that the Constitutional Committee and Mandić have taken over the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court.