EU Delegation: Transparent election of the RTCG Council a key priority for meeting European standards in the rule of law

The transparent election of the Radio and Television Council of Montenegro (RTCG) remains a key priority for meeting European standards in the rule of law, according to the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Montenegro.

They tell Television Vijesti that all allegations of illegal conduct should be investigated by the authorities, to whom these suspicions should be reported.

This comes after the Administrative Board yesterday proposed four candidates for the Public Service Council, and for media and civic organizations, the most controversial is the candidacy of Veselin Drljević – the current president of the Council.

Some candidates for membership in that body and media organizations will file criminal charges with the prosecutor's office tomorrow.

The EU Delegation to Montenegro confirmed to TV Vijesti that it has received a letter from several media and civic associations warning of potential irregularities in the nomination of the current President of the RTCG Council, Veselin Drljević, for a new term. They are calling on them to report any suspicions to the competent authorities.

"The Delegation continues to monitor the implementation of media legislation, including the Law on RTCG, as part of its regular monitoring of media freedom and the rule of law, in accordance with its mandate. In this context, all allegations of illegal conduct should be referred to the competent national authorities responsible for ensuring compliance with national legislation," the EU Delegation said.

The Administrative Board nominated Drljević and Amar Škrijelj despite numerous warnings that they were supported by organizations that do not meet legal requirements or use the seals of inactive associations. In addition to candidate Olivera Nikolić, who did not receive the support of the parliamentary majority, the Media Center is also announcing a criminal complaint to the prosecutor's office.

"Unfortunately, this was not enough to draw the attention of the majority MPs to additionally check the documentation and to dispel all doubts that exist in the civil sector and the public during the very process. These are the motives for us to file a complaint tomorrow against all those persons whom we consider responsible for the newly created situation," said Goran Đurović from the Media Center.

Drljević was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence in the first instance for the illegal appointment of RTCG Director General Boris Raonić, and among the organizations that supported him was In4S, a Montenegrin portal that was recently purchased by the Serbian portal Alo, close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Amara Škrijelja has been supported by several organizations that deal with the affirmation of minority and cultural rights of Serbs and Bosniaks, which some members of the Administrative Board took advantage of yesterday to call him a "reconciler".

On the other hand, candidates who were left without the support of the majority say that the election was politically orchestrated.

"If you don't work according to the dictates of political power, you know what will happen. I know very well how these pressures can be covert, subtle, but also brutally direct. The goal is to control the Public Service at all costs," said Vladan Mićunović, candidate for the RTCG Council.

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) says that the process has been compromised because proven professionals – Mićunović and Nikolić – have been eliminated. Although they do not directly answer whether they will support the proposed candidates in the plenum, they point out that proposing candidates for the RTCG Council without the opposition could jeopardize a potential dialogue on constitutional changes because this issue is part of the platform that the opposition offered to the majority.

"The European Union has begun mediation in talks between the government and the opposition. I assume that these talks will continue. And if you are destroying that platform by resolving one of these issues without the parliamentary opposition, then, let me say, the space for further talks is also being jeopardized," said Andrija Nikolić, a DPS MP.

While the controversial proposals will obviously find their epilogue in court, the EU Delegation concludes that the transparent selection of the RTCG Council remains a key priority for meeting European standards in the rule of law. How transparent it has been so far is perhaps indicated by the criticism of the candidates who did not pass - that they were not given access to the documentation of their opponents, which is disputed by them and several media and civic associations.