PODGORICA – On Friday evening, the Montenegrin parliament adopted the revised Law on Internal Affairs and the Law on the National Security Agency.
The adoption of the Laws, whose initial version was proposed by the Government earlier this year and stirred controversy, was a part of the political agreement between the ruling majority and the opposition parties on 7 July to resolve the parliamentary crisis in order to advance European integration-related reforms.
Amendments to these laws strengthen judicial oversight of certain covert surveillance measures and change the method of establishing the Commission for the Verification of Security-Related Impediments, RTCG reports.
Ivan Vuković, member of the largest opposition party in Montenegro, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), who resigned as Chairman of the parliament’s Committee on European Integration in March to protest the version of the laws that was proposed at the time, welcomed the adoption of the laws on Friday.
“Parliamentary opposition headed by DPS insisted on this for months. Our legitimate demands were supported in a recent report by the European Parliament”, Vuković posted on X.
EU Ambassador to Montenegro Johann Sattler congratulated the Montenegrin parliament on the adoption of the laws on Saturday.
“Thanks to the responsible approach of the government and the opposition, Montenegro has made another big step on its way to the EU. Now it is important to finish the job”, Sattler wrote on X.
He added that, by the end of August, it is expected that other obligations from the political agreement will be implemented: constitutional amendments, the election of the members of the Judicial Council and establishment of the Central Election Commission.
Public consultations on the proposed amendments to the Constitution of Montenegro, which regulate Judicial and Prosecutorial Council as well as the Central Bank of Montenegro, is scheduled to start today.
