At today's session, the Parliamentary Committee for the Political System, Judiciary and Administration adopted, with seven votes "in favor", the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Foreigners, submitted by the Government.
At today's session, MPs are also discussing the Bill on Amendments to the Law on the Status of Descendants of the Petrović Njegoš Dynasty, submitted by MPs from the Europe Now Movement (PES) Gordan Stojović and Miloš Pižurica, as well as the new Vice President from the opposition.
Nikolić: 4.000 people who live and work in Serbia voted in the elections in Nikšić
Acting Director General of the Directorate for Civil Status and Personal Documents, Dragan Dašić, as a representative of the proponents of the Law on Foreigners, pointed out that this law is the final benchmark for closing Chapter 24.
He explained that the IT and healthcare sectors are in deficit, and that the amendments to the law ensure that foreigners in these areas receive temporary residence for three years, while foreign citizens who are executive directors and owners of more than 50 percent of the ownership stake in companies will have to have at least three full-time employees, of which at least one is a Montenegrin citizen.
Dašić pointed out that the number of foreigners in Croatia is 5 percent, and in Montenegro 15 percent.
Vasilije Čarapić (PES) said that, for example, digital nomads cannot gain continuity and achieve permanent residence.
Nikola Rovčanin (Democrats) said that in the budget for next year, it is necessary to allocate funds to create conditions for facilitating administrative procedures through electronic registration of residence.
Nikolić recalled the incident in Zabjelo and the protest at the Government.
"I need to make a few comments on the atmosphere of absolute tragicomedy in which the Government is proposing this Law. The latest case involving Turkish citizens where the government accuses the wrong people of committing a crime, it turns out that they didn't do it either, and then everything that happened happened - from attempted lynchings, burning cars and buildings, calls for lynchings to the abolition of the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens," he said.
He added that the government is late and makes ad hoc decisions, and that people with files were allowed into the country, and the government saw them as a way to make money.
Dašić responded that the public debate was two years ago, and that it is not being passed ad hoc.
Nikolić said that "the system had to be more careful."
Jasmin Ćorović from the Bosniak Party (BS) explained that 13.000 people received residency based on establishing a company, and that they will have to employ 13.000 Montenegrin citizens, and asked Dašić if this was a business barrier, which he denied.
Committee Chairman Vladislav Bojović (Democratic People's Party - DNP) said that the number of foreigners is a serious security challenge, but that it is devastating that there is still no agreement on dual citizenship with Serbia.
Dašić responded that there is a problem that citizens in the diaspora who acquire citizenship of those countries may lose their Montenegrin citizenship.
Nikolić explained that small states "protect themselves from disintegration by banning dual citizenship," and added that "Vojislav Koštunica, on the eve of the referendum, carried a list of 200.000 Montenegrin citizens living in Serbia."
"4.000 people who were not on the list, who live and work in Serbia, voted for us in Nikšić," he pointed out.
He said that a large number of Montenegrin citizens are taking Serbian citizenship for education, medical treatment...
"Montenegro is a multiethnic state in which no one has a majority. Tomorrow, Bosniaks in Montenegro can seek citizenship of BiH, Albanians of Albania... Do you know where that leads? To disintegration," he said.
Bojović said that he did not call for citizenship to be granted to Serbs, but to all Montenegrin citizens in Serbia, regardless of their identity.
Nikolić pointed out that Serbian Progressive Party official Vladimir Đukanović said that Belgrade was organizing people from Serbia to vote in BiH and Montenegro.
"If the government treated all citizens equally, it should start with the MPs and determine which of them have illegal dual citizenship... If these people love Montenegro so much and are so attached to it, they can return and take Montenegrin citizenship, and renounce the other," he said.
Bojović said that DPS is "the last party that can blame someone for bringing in voters."
The proposal was adopted with seven votes in favor.
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