President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Ivan Brajović today met a delegation of the Venice Commission, visiting Montenegro on the occasion of preparing draft opinion on the Proposal for the Law on freedom of religion or beliefs and legal position of religious communities.
President Brajović emphasised the excellent cooperation of Montenegro and the Venice Commission, and expressed gratitude for the support they have been continuously providing to democratic processes in Montenegro.
The President of the Parliament expressed readiness of Montenegrin institutions to continuously harmonise domestic legislation with the highest European standards:
- We are open to all suggestions guaranteeing the equal rights and obligations to all religious communities in Montenegro, in line with the highest standards. – the President of the Parliament said.
In this regard, he particularly emphasised the role and responsibility of the Parliament of Montenegro, which will have an opportunity, by adopting this Law, to make an important step forward in normative regulation in this field, particularly given the fact that the existing Law of 1977 does not correspond with modern time and it has been outdated in every way.
Member of the Venice Commission from the Netherlands Mr Ben Vermeulen said that they were aware of the importance of adopting the law regulating this complex issue. Therefore, in a very short time, after the Proposal was established, they came to hear all opinions once again. He particularly praised the seriousness of Montenegro regarding the issue of religious freedom and expressed the belief that the Commission could give its opinion at the end of June 2019.
The meeting was attended by Chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms Mr Halil Duković, Chairperson of the Legislative Committee Ms Marta Šćepanović and parliamentarians Mr Nikola Rakočević and Mr Dragutin Papović.
President of Parliament with a delegation of the Venice Commission
