EU: Without the appointment of all members of the AMU Council, there is no effective functioning and independence of the Agency

The European Union expressed its regret that the Montenegrin Parliament refused for the third time to appoint the missing members of the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services, the European Commission's spokesperson for enlargement and foreign policy told Television Vijesti.

He notes that Brussels has already called on Montenegro to urgently appoint the remaining members of the AMU Council by the end of the spring session at the latest, which has not been done.

The majority MPs abstained during the vote for the candidates, journalist Dragoljub Vuković and academic Niko Martinović.

The EU emphasizes that without the appointment of all members of the Council, there can be no effective functioning and independence of the Agency.

They recall that the media laws adopted last year, including the Law on Audiovisual Media Services, were crucial for Montenegro to meet interim benchmarks in the area of the rule of law.

"Their full and effective implementation is now crucial for meeting the final benchmarks in the area of the rule of law, taking into account Montenegro's ambition to conclude accession negotiations by the end of 2026," the EC spokesperson concluded.