Skopje, 25 and 26 February

At the meeting of President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Ivan Brajović with the ODIHR Director Ms Ingibjörg Gísladóttir, they discussed Montenegro's continuously good cooperation with the OSCE Mission in our country and the ODIHR report’s significance for improvement of the electoral legislation. The interlocutors agreed that Montenegro showed its democratic capacity with willingness to adopt the ODIHR recommendations following the preparations implemented by the Working Group of the Parliament of Montenegro, thus further improving the already good election environment. Ahead of the presidential elections, the ODIHR’s positive response to the invitation by the President of the Parliament to send an observation mission to Montenegro was emphasised.

- We had a very good and constructive meeting. We were talking about the previous cooperation with Montenegro. We have had good cooperation with the Parliament and we very much look forward to deploying an election monitoring mission in your country for the upcoming elections, for which we are now preparing - said the ODIHR director. 

President of the OSCE PA Mr George Tsereteli considers Montenegro’s role in the region very significant, bearing in mind its commitment to the regional cooperation, as well as cooperation within the OSCE, NATO membership and European integration. During the meeting, they jointly noted that Montenegro’s progress was evident, and they positively assessed the return of one part of the opposition to the Parliament. The interlocutors also agreed that the upcoming presidential election would contribute to further stabilisation of Montenegro. President Brajović emphasised the significance of the election process in Montenegro because it represented a decisive roadmap for the path which one democratic country should take.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Mr  Harlem Désir believes that Montenegro is making progress in the freedom of the media, which is also a part of its leadership role in the region.  During his conversation with President Brajović, they also discussed the role of the Parliament, other state authorities and segments of society in the support to the further professionalisation of the media, including their financial and governing independence, as well as guild solidarity necessary for ensuring the meeting of journalistic standards.

President Brajović emphasised that the strict observation of laws represented protection for all social structures, and for media it created prerequisites for a professional and responsible approach to free and objective reporting to the citizens. On his conversation with President Brajović, Mr Harlem Désir said:

- It was very important for me to have this opportunity to meet the President of the Parliament of Montenegro today in Vienna to discuss our cooperation to support the development of freedom of the media in Montenegro. We discussed the public service broadcaster and its future, the financing, the independence. The public broadcaster is a key dimension of the development of vibrant and realistic media landscape in the country and a contribution to the quality of information. And so it is very important in a moment where the information which is fair is confronted to the spread of fake news of disinformation to promote professional standards in journalism. We also discussed the issue of ethical code of conduct that my Office has been supporting with the OSCE Office in Montenegro with the cooperation of the media actors, of the journalists. We also support the role of the ombudsman and the Media Council for Self-regulation. We also discussed the issue of safety of journalists, of the commission for the investigation of the crimes against journalists and mainly our future cooperation.  Because the Parliament will have a very important role in drafting several legislation amendments to the existing legislation. My visit a few days ago in Montenegro was very fruitful. I think a great success for us in our discussion with the authorities and with the journalists and civil society actors.  It was very important to prolong this discussion through this meeting with the President of the Parliament of Montenegro.

Statement of ODIHR Director Ms Ingibjörg Gísladóttir following the meeting with Mr Ivan Brajović

Statement of Mr Harlem Désir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, following the meeting with Mr Ivan Brajović

Cover footage OSCE - day two
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Statement - Harlem Désir
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Statement - Ingibjörg Gísladóttir
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The Committee adopted its 2017 Performance Report

The Committee considered two proposals for laws