MANS calls on the Parliament to reject the Agreement with the UAE and protect the country's European path

Tender is a victory of reason – Parliament must reject the Agreement with the UAE and protect Montenegro's European path

The exclusion of tenders and the suspension of laws represent the essence of the Agreement between Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on cooperation in the field of tourism and real estate development, said the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector.

They point out that the Agreement was not prepared to enable the development of a specific project through fair competition and public bidding, but rather to suspend the legal framework, so that a pre-selected investor would receive exclusive treatment without a public and transparent procedure.

"The European Commission did not give the green light to the Agreement in any part of its opinion, but on the contrary - it clearly indicated that its implementation would represent a direct violation of European rules, and therefore jeopardize the process of Montenegro's accession to the EU. It is Article 2.4 of the Agreement, which the Commission itself quotes, that provides for an exemption from the obligation to announce public tenders. The EU clearly states that the implementation of that article would be contrary to the principles of transparency, competition and equal treatment of all investors," said MANS.

They emphasize that it is up to the Parliament to show responsibility and commitment to the country's European path by rejecting the Agreement in this form.

"The Assembly must clearly demonstrate that it stands behind European principles, because this is not just an agreement, but a test of our commitment to the European path. Therefore, we expect that reason will prevail and that absolute agreement will be reached among all MPs to return the document to the Government for revision."

They say that it would be frivolous and harmful to Montenegro's international credibility to mislead any of our EU or UAE partners.

"An agreement that cannot be implemented without violating European norms cannot be accepted as a serious state business, nor as something that serves the public interest. We thank the President for requesting the opinion of the European Commission on this issue. If he had not done so, Montenegro would have remained blind to the serious legal and political consequences that such an agreement entails, because the Government argued that the EU's opinion should not be sought."

They add that despite assurances from the Government and the Prime Minister that everything is in line with European standards, the opposite has turned out to be the case, with the EC directly warning of serious risks to European integration.

"That is why we expect the Government to finally accept the help of European experts, instead of making private plans and agreements with an investor who is already acting as if the job is done. If European standards and the assistance offered by the European Union are accepted, then there will be no possibility of emergency sessions, midnight votes, or ignoring local communities and their interests. There will also be no questionable interpretations of European standards by the Prime Minister and Minister who openly represent the interests of a known investor."

They also believe that "any serious and responsible prime minister, after such an opinion from his most important international partner, the EU, would go himself to explain to his partners from the UAE that he cannot deliver what he promised them."

"Instead of taking the warnings seriously and acting responsibly, our Prime Minister is manipulating the content of the letter, which is available to the entire public. Such an approach only confirms the suspicion that the Prime Minister's goal is not to harmonize with European standards, but to push through the Agreement at all costs, which does not serve the interests of the citizens of Montenegro, but rather the interests of a pre-selected investor," said MANS.