Restoring citizens' trust in Montenegrin institutions

Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić with representatives of reputable Think Tank organisations from Europe. The meeting provided an opportunity for esteemed guests to become acquainted with the work of the 44th Government of Montenegro.

Deputy Prime Minister Bečić highlighted achieving political stability and calming tensions in society as one of the most significant results of the Government in the past 100 days, enabling the implementation of reforms in the judiciary by unblocking key institutions that had been in acting capacities for several years. He also pointed out another important fact - the successful and democratic conduct of the population census.

"The results we have achieved have exceeded many expectations, and we have definitely justified the citizens' trust in leading the social processes in Montenegro.

Besides establishing full functionality and legitimacy of the Constitutional Court, Judicial Council, Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, and Central Bank, these were actually some of the most important steps toward restoring citizens' trust in Montenegrin institutions. This is a process that cannot be completed overnight, nor does it depend on one individual. We all have a responsibility to contribute because strong institutions, socially cohesive and reconciled society, economically and socially empowered citizens, as well as the preservation and enhancement of achieved socio-political freedoms, are the foundations of eternity and the pledge for the future of all of us and those who will succeed us," emphasised the Deputy Prime Minister.

Commenting on the excellent results achieved in the security sector, Bečić highlighted:

"The concrete results stemming from our brave and decisive daily fight and numerous actions against organised crime and corruption in excellent cooperation with the prosecution are the best response to political performances attempting to create a false perception of the situation in the security sector, aiming to minimize the achieved successes and slow down reform processes.

The results we witness daily are the best response to all obstructions and attempts to divert attention from the essence, but also a textbook example of partnership and quality collaboration between the security sector, the Special State Prosecutor's Office, and other competent prosecutors' offices," he emphasised.

"Our joint activities are evidence that in Montenegro there are no longer untouchable individuals. We are not interested in the names of any individual or criminal group because we have no obligation to anyone other than our country and its citizens. I am glad that we have confirmed this once again with actions.

We are strongly committed, as the results confirm, to continuously cleansing the security sector and other parts of the system from the influence and infiltration of crime and corruption because the time has passed for disgracing the honorable uniforms of our security services and serving criminal structures.

We will seize the great European opportunity that has arisen. All Government capacities are raised and directed toward achieving IBAR, i.e., fulfillment of the interim benchmarks in Chapters 23 and 24, and immediately after that, we will proceed with closing the chapters.

Montenegro is relentlessly marching towards becoming the 28th member of the EU, and I thank you as esteemed Think Tank organisations and our partners from Berlin, Paris, The Hague, Brussels, and other cities and countries for helping us on this path," concluded Bečić.