June 8 () –
The National Assembly of Montenegro approved late this past Friday a new judicial reform — accompanied by additional measures to strengthen press freedom in the country — designed to facilitate its plan to join the European Union, which the authorities of the Balkan country they hope to complete in 2028.
The Minister for European Affairs, Maida Gorcevic, has congratulated the Legislature for the adoption of a dozen measures that have ended up “ratifying the extensive work carried out in recent months by all branches of the Government.”
“The institutions of Montenegro have done their homework and I have no doubt that the EU Member States will recognize their work in the form of a positive assessment at the end of the month,” added the minister in statements reported by ‘Vijesti’, where he characterized the vote as “a turning point in the integration of Montenegro into the European family.”
The bills presented by the center-right government of Prime Minister Milojko Spajic were approved on Friday night with the support of the majority of the opposition. The new regulations include stricter provisions to prevent corruption and allow the confiscation of assets derived from criminal activities.
Parliament had passed other laws related to the judicial system in previous days, including regulations for the election of independent courts and public prosecutors’ offices. The laws adopted follow the common standards in EU countries. Observers warn, however, that the next test will be to apply and implement them properly, reports the DPA agency.
Once the reforms come into force, the European Union could provisionally close several chapters of the accession negotiations. That would put Montenegro ahead of four other Western Balkan countries in accession talks with Brussels: Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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