The Media Center submitted an urgent request to the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and an invitation to "use its authority" and unblock the process of implementing the Law on the National Public Broadcaster-Public Media Service of Montenegro.
Media Center Director Goran Đurović said that they expect the EU Delegation, in direct communication with the Speaker of the Parliament Andrija Mandić, to ensure that media laws are implemented in parliament without delay or delay.
"The Media Center informed the EU Delegation that Article 27 of the new Law on the National Public Broadcaster-Public Media Service of Montenegro stipulates that: 'The President of the Parliament shall initiate the procedure for appointing a new member of the Council no later than 120 days before the expiration of the mandate of the current member of the Council'," he announced.
Đurović points out that the mandate of RTCG Council member Amina Murić, who was appointed from among NGOs in the field of human rights and freedoms protection, which deal with the realization and protection of: national, gender and overall equality; the right to a healthy environment; consumer rights; the rights of persons with disabilities or the right to education and social protection, expires on June 11th.
He said that the mandate of Council member Marijana Camović Velicković, who was appointed from among the trade union organizations represented in the Social Council, also expires on the same day.
Đurović also says that the President of the Parliament should invite both the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Matica Crnogorska to appoint their representative instead of Predrag Miranović, who resigned as a member of the RTCG Council.
The Media Center, he said, pointed out to the EU Delegation that the public call for the appointment of new members of the Council had to be announced by February 11th and that the Speaker of the Parliament was solely responsible for the delay in the implementation of the Law.
"The media laws were adopted in June last year as part of a package of laws that were necessary to obtain a positive IBAR, which was an important step in continuing the process of our country's accession to the European Union. After three years of preparation, the media laws were adopted unanimously in the Parliament of Montenegro, and any delay in their implementation could lead to a review of the temporary closure of Chapter 10 (Information Society and Media)," the statement reads.
Đurović says that if the process of appointing new members of the RTCG Council "is not started immediately," there is a possibility that the body will be reduced to six members in June, "which will make decision-making more difficult."
Also, as he said, if the process of appointing a new member of the Council is not started immediately, it opens up "room for suspicions that there are political reasons for violating the law, and possibly an intention to secure political influence on RTCG, but also the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services, through possible changes to the law."
"The Media Center expects the EU Delegation to use its influence and thwart any intention to change media laws that would lead to the establishment of party control over the work of public media services," said Đurović.
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