Abazović writes to Buquicchio and Varhelyi: Thank you for the contribution that brings our country closer to European standards

The support of the Venice Commission was of immense importance in this phase of the reform of the Montenegrin Prosecutor’s Office, and it created the necessary preconditions for a substantial and strong fight against corruption and organized crime, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazović wrote to President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi.

Emphasising the importance of combating corruption and organized crime in the further process of Montenegro's European integration, Abazović noted that members of the Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on 12 May with additional recommendations from the Venice Commission and stressed that the Government of Montenegro and the parliamentary majority will soon launch a dialogue to resolve the temporary appointment issues in the prosecution and judiciary.

"Through the final text of the Law, an amendment was adopted which will separate a member of the Prosecutorial Council from the ranks of eminent lawyers, proposed by non-governmental organisations, from other eminent lawyers elected by the Parliament, by being proposed on a separate list, as proposed in the Urgent Opinion of the Venice Commission. Also, an amendment was adopted which creates guarantees that the Supreme State Prosecutor and the Special State Prosecutor will not be put in a position to submit confidential or other data to the Parliament, i.e. the competent working bodies, which are important for proper criminal investigation or procedure. These changes are an improvement in relation to the existing law, which did not provide for this type of protection," the Deputy Prime Minister's letter reads.

Abazović reminds that the adopted amendements are a great progress in relation to the original draft law, as well as that the amendment introduces changes in relation to the opinion, assessments, proposals and recommendations that the Parliament, i.e. the competent working body can submit to the Prosecutorial Council and the Minister of Justice.

Throughout the reform process, which began in January 2021, the Montenegrin public and the international community had the opportunity to hear arguments, of a political and legal nature, aimed at explaining the reasons for initiating these reforms. Urgent and substantial reforms are crucial for Montenegro's further European path, and they are only the first step, which was necessary to convince all political actors that the current status quo is unsustainable and that the desired solutions cannot be reached by obstruction, but only through dialogue, DPM Abazović's letter reads.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that he believes in efficiency in finding common solutions "in order to show our citizens and European partners that we, as legitimately elected representatives, are more than ready to subordinate party and other interests to public ones".

"The Government is convinced that, through the essential application of the new law, it will be shown that all concerns have proved to be unjustified. The key effort of the Government of Montenegro is reflected in the true belief that the quality of legal solutions is not only measured by the legal definition, but also by their proper application in practice, because only that leads to true rule of law," said Abazović.

He points out that the Government of Montenegro once again thanks for all the efforts made by the Venice Commission during the entire crucial process of reform of the Prosecutor's Office in Montenegro and the rule of law in general.

"I thank you on behalf of Montenegro and its citizens, for the partnership and friendly relationship, which brings our country closer to European standards and helps its further integration path," DPM Abazović concluded.