Press release: Prime Minister's Questions – 29 October 2021

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić took questions from the MPs within the Prime Minister's Questions.

Answering a question of Boris Bogdanović, the MP Group "Democrats - Demos - Peace is Our Nation", Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić said that the entry ban on citizens of the Republic of Serbia, Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković, was lifted on 28 December 2020.

At that time, the Police Directorate was managed by people that belonged to the DPS. Then with one click, at least according to those who were interrogated, someone changed the status of persons who were banned from entering Montenegro. Can an officer do something without the order of his superior? Thanks to the State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, Rade Milošević, an investigation was initiated. The two interrogated officers indicated that certain officials in the Police Directorate gave an oral order, said PM Krivokapić, adding that the Special State Prosecutor's Office is investigating all these issues.

The Prime Minister said that the previous government had set up such concrete fences that it took, not three months, but much more to make some changes in the Police Directorate. He also said that Director of the National Security Agency Dejan Vukšić did not know anything about the lifting of the entry ban.

Answering a question of Jevto Eraković, MP Group Democratic Party of Socialists and the Liberal Party, PM Krivokapić said that the visit of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro speaks about Montenegro's results in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

On that occasion, she praised Montenegro's efforts in monitoring the epidemic. Montenegro has provided over a million doses of vaccines, and the percentage of immunized citizens is higher than in some EU member states. Of the total number of infected citizens in Montenegro, 98.5 percent have recovered, said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister reminded of all affairs during the thirty-year rule of the DPS. Isn't the resignation submitted when the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, with partners from 117 countries, publishes a database of almost 12 million documents, which reveals that your president and his family have offshore companies and trusts, PM Krivokapić asked MP Eraković.

Prime Minister Krivokapić, answering a question of Branko Radulović, MP Group "Democratic Front – Movement for Changes", said that the Government and he personally are doing everything to bring Montenegrin society to the desired consensus.

I have shown willingness and said that I will consider any initiative to improve the work of the Government, which is backed by at least 41 deputies. I also expressed the wish that representatives of minority parties join the reshuffled Government. I use every opportunity to call on the representatives of the parliamentary majority to vote on the new Prosecutorial Council as soon as possible. This Prosecutorial Council is a precondition for many much-needed activities to resolve the situation in the judiciary. The situation we are in does not depend only on the Government. All parties in the Parliament are in favor of EU integration. If so, and if the EC Report clearly states that the reform of the judiciary is one of the preconditions for intensifying the European integration of our country, I call on the Parliament of Montenegro to initiate that process as well, said Prime Minister Krivokapić.

Prime Minister Krivokapić said in response to a question of Ivan Brajović, MP Group "Social Democrats of Montenegro", that he would certainly not resign at his request, and that this was his wishful thinking.

Do you need to be constantly reminded of what you did in the previous period?  Why didn't you do everything to protect the stability of this country? Instead, you encouraged the country's downfall, PM Krivokapić said.

Answering a question of Dragan Ivanović, MP Group of the Socialist People’s Party of Montenegro, PM Krivokapić said that 2022 is the year of reforms.

The capital budget will be at least 450m euros. When you talk about investments, I will point out a few problems, PM Krivokapić said. He noted that the factory that should be opened in Tuzi, which will employ at least 150 workers, is certainly a project that will be implemented soon.

The Prime Minister addressed the burnings issues, such as Vektra Jakić and Vektra Boka, stating that the Commercial Court is one of the worst courts in Montenegro and a hotbed of corruption.

This Government wants to pay attention to young people, and that is why the greatest emphasis is on the employment of young, competent people who will have the opportunity to study abroad because we are working intensively on signing bilateral agreements that will enable this. That is the future of Montenegro. Therefore, we all need to make the maximum contribution to make that future happen. It can only happen if we work together, said Prime Minister Krivokapić.

Answering a question of Ervin Ibrahimović, MP Group of the Bosniak Party, PM Krivokapić said that on 30 August 2020 we experienced freedom in every sense of the word.

Democracy has also happened, but all that is something we need to go through together, the Prime Minister said and added that there is no revanchism towards civil servants. He pointed out that they noted everything that was pointed out in the EC Report, and that they would make an action plan.

According to the action plan, we want to take accelerated steps to first turn the interim benchmarks into final ones, and then everything else that we cannot do without you in the Parliament, and especially not without the judiciary. He added that no one in this Government has anything against any minority, that there is no discrimination, no selectivity, and no revanchism. I offered you to join this Government. You have decided that your choice is what you are used to, said Prime Minister Krivokapić.

Prime Minister Krivokapić said in response to a question of Suada Zoronjić, MP Group "In Black and White", that the decision to form a Prosecutorial Council could not be linked to the Government reshuffle.

These are not the same elements and one cannot condition the other. I did everything in my power to reach the required level of unity, Krivokapić said.

The Prime Minister said that there is a certain criminal group that has been in custody for three years, and which can be released in three months because no one from the judiciary dared to do his job.

Therefore, the formation of the Prosecutorial and Judicial Council is top priority and we are out of time. If these two very important branches are not activated, we will be all in trouble. If we want to leave the state of justice to our children, we must revive these two institutions, PM Krivokapić said.

Answering a question of Raško Konjević, MP Group of the Social Democratic Party – Albanian coalition "Unanimously", PM Krivokapić said that the reports of the European Commission for Montenegro represent a snapshot of Montenegro's accession negotiations.

Your remark that this year's Report is worse than the previous ones is based on a simplified quantitative assessment of the average progress of Montenegro. However, the most complex social project of Europeanization of Montenegro cannot be observed through one number. I remind you that each area is evaluated twice. When it comes to the results of the speed of annual progress by negotiation chapters, Prime Minister Krivokapić points out that Montenegro received the same assessment in 16 negotiation chapters.

The Prime Minister also stresses the fact that Montenegro could never join the EU as the only member that has never changed its government in the elections. The previous regime lacked the political will for fundamental reforms and results in the fight against high-level corruption and organised crime. This government has proved to have it, said PM Krivokapić.

He said that he certainly felt responsible for democratic stability and the continuation of Montenegro's European path. The economic policy of this Government is responsible for the survival in the most unfavorable conditions of the pandemic. We have consolidated public finances and preserved the economy. In addition, as Prime Minister, I feel responsible for solving the biggest and oldest problem of our administration and society - the lack of administrative capacity to assume all the obligations arising from the European agenda. That is why we will launch a programme of administrative reforms "Europe here" which, using the skills and knowledge of the entire society, will contribute to a systematic strengthening of capacities to speed up membership negotiations, said Prime Minister Krivokapić.

Our citizens have no dilemma - the future of Montenegro is in the European Union.