BRUSSELS / PODGORICA – European Commission Spokeswoman Ana Pisonero released a statement yesterday evening, taking note of the vote in Montenegro on the amendments to the Law on State Prosecution.
The Assembly of Montenero has adopted the new Law on State Prosecution with 41 votes of the ruling majority. The Law enables significant changes in the composition of prosecution, which the ruling parties claim is necessary for achieving tangible results.
President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, whose party DPS has strongly criticised the Law, can veto the Law and return it to the Assembly, but the ruling parties can override the veto with the fragile majority they currently hold.
Some elements of the Law remain controversial, including the election of the new members of the Prosecutorial Council before the expiration of the previous members’ terms, which was also highlighted in the Opinion of the Venice Commission released on Monday.
“We welcome that in the process of the revision of the Law on State Prosecution Service, Montenegro has twice requested the Venice Commission’s opinion”, tweeted Spokesperson Ana Pisonero.
“We trust that will address as a priority all the remaining issues as highlighted in the Venice Commission’s follow-up opinion on the revised draft amendments to this law, issued on Monday, especially when it comes to the early dismissal of all members of the Prosecutorial Council”, she wrote.
She added that, in order to further advance on its path and meet the interim benchmarks for Chapter 23 of its EU accession negotiations, Montenegro needs to make further progress on rule of law reforms, and engage in a cross-party dialogue on pending key judicial appointments.