The Center for Civic Education (CCE) welcomed the decision of the Parliament, which, at yesterday's session, elected new members of the Council of Radio and Television of Montenegro: Marijana Camović Velicković, Janko Ljumović and Nikola Tatar.
They particularly highlight the appointment of Marijana Camović Velicković, a candidate proposed by CCE, Human Rights Action (HRA) and the Women's Rights Center (CŽP), with the support of 26 other NGOs, as "a joint expression of the need to strengthen integrity and professionalism within the public service."
"We are aware that the ruling majority, with this election, is not changing the existing balance of power in the RTCG Council, which has probably influenced the different attitude towards candidates for this Council compared to those for the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services. However, we expect that the new members will contribute to greater transparency, legality and accountability in the work of RTCG, which is crucial at a time when the public service is under pressure from increasingly pronounced instrumentalization for narrow party interests," the statement reads.
"Instead of a stable European course, we are witnessing a pattern where Montenegro takes one step forward - such as this election - and then immediately takes two steps back, such as obstructions surrounding the media regulator. This undermines public trust in the sincerity of the authorities' intentions and compromises the credibility of the EU integration process," CCE says.
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