Montenegro must adhere to the principles of transparency, accountability and inclusiveness, as well as the rule of law, and when it comes to development and infrastructure projects, everything must be in accordance with national legislation and European Union standards, said the rapporteur for Montenegro, Marjan Šarec, at today's meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET).
He recalled that the cooperation agreements between Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates, which were adopted last night in the Montenegrin parliament, led to divisions in society.
"I do not want to express my opinion on signing that agreement, but I must emphasize that you must adhere to the principles of transparency and accountability and inclusiveness, as well as the rule of law. As for development and infrastructure projects, everything must be in accordance with national legislation and EU standards... Our task in parliament is to strongly support the accession process, but at the same time we must warn of potential problems," said Šarec.
He also said that Montenegro must ensure political consensus, because without it it is not possible to resolve issues that cause divisions in society.
According to him, it is not enough to adopt reforms, but they must be effectively implemented in practice, especially in three key areas.
"The judiciary must function as an independent branch of government. You must continue with reforms, because the fight against crime and corruption remains one of the biggest challenges in Montenegro. The ruling coalition is well aware of that," he said.
The elections, he added, should be organized in a way that will ensure stability.
He reminds that the current election law does not provide for holding elections in one day, which causes political misunderstandings.
"The third area is the media. The plurality is greater than in neighboring countries, but we should not be satisfied with the results so far, there is still a lot to be done," said Šarec.
When it comes to the Law on Foreign Agents, Šarec says that Montenegro needs to be careful.
"I would suggest that you take into account European standards and practices, you must ensure that basic principles are maintained, especially freedom of expression and association," he said.
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