Press release: Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic meets Venice Commission expert delegation, headed by Deputy Secretary Thomas Markert

Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic met with the Venice Commissions expert delegation, headed by the Commissions Deputy Secretary Thomas Markert, in Podgorica. The experts are visiting Montenegro in order to take part in the Round Table on Constitutional Reform in Montenegro.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that the meeting had taken place and thanked the Venice Commission for their important role and support in completing the restoration of Montenegros statehood successfully and to the highest international standards. He also thanked the Commission experts for their support to the process of adopting Montenegros new Constitution.

The Prime Minister acquainted his guests with the activities of the government and other state institutions in constitutional reform and expressed confidence that cooperation with the Venice Commission would make a considerable contribution to the new Constitution of Montenegro as a sovereign and independent state. In that respect, he highlighted the commitment to reach the widest possible social consensus on the text of the Constitution, using all the instruments of debate in the Parliament. He also informed his guests of the Governments ongoing activities in terms of bringing domestic legislation governing state administration, judiciary, local self-government and media into conformity with European standards, in support of the efforts to accelerate Montenegros European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Mr Markert noted that the Draft Constitution contained, as he said, good intentions and offered on the part of the Venice Commission every support necessary in the process of its adoption. He welcomed the commitment to reach the widest possible parliamentary and social consensus on the Constitution.

It was agreed that the new Constitution should round off the legal standardization of the institutions of Montenegro as an entity with full international legal personality. In that context, both sides recognized the issues of human rights and freedoms and an independent judiciary as particularly important.