The most significant result in this period are the conclusions of the intergovernmental conference at which the countries of the European Union (EU) approved the provision of final benchmarks in chapters 23 and 24. On the other hand, non-transparency, the adoption of the resolution on Jasenovac, the struggle for supremacy in the security sector, the non-functioning of the Security Council and defense, the absence of electoral reform and the failure to adopt the law on the Parliament and the Government and free access to information are reasons for concern.
After the Center for Democratic Transition’s (CDT’s) review of the 44th Government of Montenegro and the coalition government work program, and the results they achieved in the first 100 days, the third analysis of the CDT on the quality of the government’s work is available, which relates for the period from February to the end of July 2024, and which includes those areas that are within the scope of organization.
Obtaining IBAR certainly represents a great success and a strategic step towards EU membership that previous governments were unable to make. Montenegro prepared innovative strategies for the fight against corruption and judicial reform, and adopted a set of relevant laws in the field of justice, corruption and media, but also a favorable geostrategic moment in which Brussels looks at the enlargement process differently.
However, despite the achieved success, the adopted strategic documents and laws in the area of judicial reform and corruption bypassed fundamental reforms, and the process of their adoption was not completely transparent or inclusive. Media laws “died” in the political battle for supremacy over public service, and contemporary challenges concerning digital media and the fight against disinformation were absent.
The complete process of adopting the IBAR law was accompanied by a dynamic political life in which, from time to time, the coalition government did not present itself as European, democratic, and often not even “pro-Western”.
Just one day after the great success, a negative shock followed with the passing of the Resolution on Genocide in Jasenovac and the Dachau and Mauthausen Concentration Camps, which caused numerous turbulences on the domestic and international level. First of all, the adoption of this document caused fierce reactions from the opposition and a significant part of civil society, and within PES and the ruling coalition there were different views on the need for its adoption. On the international level, there were official reactions from the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the visit of the President of the European Council, Šarlo Mišel, was cancelled, and clear messages about the need for “Montenegro to remain on the European path” could be heard.
The events that preceded the declaration of July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica, once again brought to the fore the serious disagreements within the ruling coalition in the field of foreign policy. The answer to this was the adoption of the resolution on Jasenovac, which shows that the government is making compromises that can harm the state of Montenegro.
The observed period was marked by a political conflict between the PES and the Democrats related to the appointment of high-ranking police officials. The marathon “midnight” session that preceded the election of the acting director of the police will remain as a significant testimony to how “obsessed” the political structures are still with this sector.
The Council for Defense and Security is in a kind of blockade because its sessions have not been held for more than five months, which calls into question the fulfillment of a number of obligations from NATO membership, the common security policy of the EU, and partly the functioning of the Army system.
The ping-pong between the Government and the Assembly, which, for the umpteenth time, prevented the adoption of the extremely important Law on Free Access to Information, shows that there is still no political will to increase the transparency of the government.
Electoral reform was blocked for most of the observed period, and the announcement of the adoption of the controversial law on dual citizenship significantly distanced the already ineffective Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform from success. Also, there is the non-adoption of the laws on the Parliament and the Government, the same ones that the representatives of the current government firmly advocated and promised their adoption when they were in the opposition.
After nine months, the government presented the Europe Now 2 program, but continued to do nothing when it comes to public administration reform, but also with, in some cases, a very contentious attitude towards the media, especially those inclined to its criticism.
The complete publication Analysis of the 44th Government work: European progress versus domestic political intrigues is available HERE.
The analysis was created with SMART Balkans CORE grant support, and the review above is originally available in Montenegrin at the following link.