The participants in the meeting were pleased with the very successful previous cooperation between the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, and they discussed the possible field of cooperation in the following period. The highlight was on the recently adopted Code of Ethics for MPs and obligations of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms regarding oversight over implementation and monitoring of the compliance with the Code.

Head of Democratisation Department of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro Ms Lia Magnaguagno assessed that the adoption of the Code of Ethic for MPs was very significant for promotion of integrity and responsibility of the Parliament of Montenegro and all its MPs. She offered assistance in establishing procedures for actions in accordance with the Code of Ethics, highlighting that Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Warsaw, had a Study containing the analysis of comparative experiences on implementation of the Code of Ethics in the parliaments of certain states. She said that the ODIHR experts, which would be hired by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, could provide additional information and experiences on the subject. She proposed organising of a one-day training for MPs, members of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms, where they would get an opportunity to learn about the implementation of the Code in other parliaments, or about the concrete examples presented to them by experts and members of the parliaments of other countries.

Chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms Mr Halil Duković expressed his gratitude for the offered expert assistance emphasising that it would be very useful and significant for all members of the Committee, because the exchange of experiences on this topic, new for the Montenegrin Parliament, was very significant. He pointed out that, since the moment of adoption of the Code of Ethics for MPs until now, no report was filed on violation of the Code provisions, and he expressed his hope and expectation that the dialogue culture among MPs would remain at a high level in the following period as well.

He said that the potential problems could occur while making decisions on the existence of violation of the Code provisions, because it is expected that in such instances the MPs would make decisions based on their party affiliation. Bearing in mind that there had still been no initiation of proceedings due to Code violations, Chairperson of the Committee said that he was not able to recognise all the problems and dilemmas that could arise, therefore being informed on the practices of other countries would be extremely significant. Taking into consideration the obligations of ODIHR experts, but also of members of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms, the interlocutors agreed it would be best to hold the training in September 2015. Mr Halil Duković expressed gratitude to the OSCE Mission to Montenegro for its previous assistance, support and cooperation, highlighting that “Guidelines for organising public debates for the Committees of the Parliament of Montenegro” created by the OSCE Mission were especially significant to the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms during independent organising of public debates on various topics in various areas of Montenegro. He pointed out that public debates implemented by the Committee significantly contributed to informing the citizens on their rights, as well as greater transparency of the Parliament and its working bodies.

Ms Lia Magnaguagno was pleased with the very positive experiences in her cooperation with the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms, and commended the Committee for successful implementation of public debates and numerous other activities.

The interlocutors were pleased with today’s meeting, hoping that the cooperation between the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro would also continue in the following period.