Vujović: Đurović orders the Ministry and the Directorate, if the Council of Europe works for DPS, I work too

Ranko Vujović, executive secretary of the Media Council for Self-Regulation, announced today that the director of the Media Center, Goran Đurović, is now acting as a superior to the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Media Directorate, and that he is now issuing orders and instructions to the Ministry and the competent directorate on what and how to do about the unfinished dealing with media laws.

Vujović reacted to yesterday's statement by Đurović, in which, among other things, it is stated that "Vujović is an ordinary official of the DPS".

"When I first reacted to the announcement of Goran Đurović and the Media Center, I thought I was talking to a representative of a non-governmental organization that was only putting pressure on a ministry. In yesterday's response, Goran Đurović presented himself in a completely new role. He now acts as a superior to the Ministry of Culture and the media and the Media Directorate. He is now issuing orders and instructions to the Ministry and the competent directorate on what and how to do about the unfinished business with media laws. Thus we learn that the Ministry should organize another meeting with the working group in order to present the new legal solutions to the members. And that's it. Even Goran Đurović in front of the Ministry notes that everyone will have the opportunity to announce their comments during the public hearing. How generous of Goran Đurović," Vujović pointed out.

He added that "the working group worked for eight months, but at the very end, Goran Đurović took away the right to declare any legal solution".

"Then why was that working group formed? To be behind the scenes, behind which it will not be seen that Goran Đurović, as the superior of the ministry, is writing the legal solutions that he likes? Are they the new "democratic" standards promoted by Goran Đurović. In the last email that working group received from the Media Directorate at the end of July, Nedjeljko Rudović announced that: "The final interdepartmental consultations within the competent departments in the Government are underway. I hope that soon we will be able to schedule a working group so that we, as a working group, can decide on all the proposals for changes, i.e. passing a set of media laws". It is interesting that now Goran Đurović is canceling what the Director of the Media Directorate promised. "In what capacity does Goran Đurović address the public? If not as a representative of a non-governmental organization, then as the husband of a minister or the husband of the vice-president of the currently ruling party? As an ordinary citizen, he would certainly not be able to order a ministry what to do," said Vujović.

In his words, "and when Đurović is already appearing in front of the Ministry of Culture (so far the Ministry has not distanced itself from his announcements), let's use it to ask him what he would do with the famous media strategy?"

"It's almost been a year since work on it started, but Goran Đurović is silent about it and does not order it to be adopted. What happened to the comments of the Council of Europe about that strategy and why are those comments being hidden from the public? Rumor has it that those comments were so "positive" that the working group suddenly lost the will to work on that document. Let me remind Goran Đurović that "his" work on media laws would also have to go through the hands of the Council of Europe if he thinks that Montenegro will continue European integration. Maybe the members working groups can be forced out of the process, but it will be difficult to do that with the Council of Europe. And another small detail, which Goran Đurović did not notice since issuing orders to the ministries that the 43rd Government of Montenegro fell on August 19 and is in technical mandate, which is not the most appropriate for the adoption of systemic laws," said Vujović.

He also said that "when it comes to the massive untruths that Goran Đurović states regarding my work in the Agency for Electronic Media, I just want to thank him for doubling the number of mandates as president of the Council of the Agency".

"I would not waste space on the other accusations, because everything he stated was not the competence of the Council that I chaired. He should know that much considering that he spent years in the Agency reading all possible documents of the Agency. Also, if the previous laws were in accordance with the DPS -a, then let him turn to the Council of Europe because that organization approved of them. If they work for DPS, I do too. Finally, a warm recommendation for Đurović to read Nušić's "The Lady Minister". Maybe he will learn something from Živka's story." concluded Vujović.