In the course of past several days, Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Branko Radulović paid an official visit to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic.

During his visit, Vice President Radulović met with the chairpersons and members of the Committee on the Budget: Mr Václav Votava, Mr Jaroslav Klaška, Mr Jiří Dolejš, František Mr Laudat, and Mr Josef Uhlík; the Committee on European Affairs: Mr Josef Šenfeld, Mr Marek Černoch, and Mr Josef Kott; the Electoral Committee: Mr Martin Komárek, Ms Nina Nováková, Ms Pavla Golasowská, and Mr Jaroslav Holík; with Vice Chair of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs and former Public Prosecutor and Minister of Justice Ms Marie Benešová, as well as with members of the parliamentary Friendship Group of the Czech Republic and Montenegro Mr Jiri Stetina and Vaclav Zemek.

Vice President Radulović and the Czech parliamentarians discussed the current situation and the future of the European Union in the field of economics, integration and security; integration experiences of the Czech Republic and its future, as well as the current situation in Montenegro and the Western Balkans.

Vice Chair of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Mr Vojtěch Filip pointed out that, in today’s multipolar world, the European Union was the optimal and the best solution for all its Member States, as well as for all states that would become members due to their results. In order to become more functional than nowadays, the European Union needs to have institutional reforms in all Member States and to honour its commitments. The Czech Republic advocates further enlargement of the EU, especially in regard to the Western Balkan countries, which, unlike some previous negative experiences, will achieve that by concrete reforms and their full implementation. With regard to the Eurozone, Vice Chair Mr Vojtěch Filip says that the Eurozone does not need to survive, however, common monetary policy and common currency are significant. Bearing in mind limited natural resources at the EU’s disposal, Vice Chair Filip points out that valorisation and investment in education and science is extremely significant to the EU in order to make it more competitive compared to other parts of the world. With regard to NATO membership, Vice Chair Filip theorises that Montenegro is for the most part interesting to NATO due to possible military bases and due to its geopolitical significance Montenegro could advance its position in the European integration processes as well. Additionally, he points out that in that situation the issue emerges of how Russia, Turkey and Albania would view the possible setting up of military bases in Montenegro. Unlike the period of 1999, when the Czech Republic was joining the NATO Alliance, the public support for the Alliance is lower now and there is a controversial opinion about that military alliance.

During the meeting with the members of the Committee on the Budget, the Czech parliamentarians made numerous statements regarding the situation in the EU and its future, the Eurozone and the Czech Republic, which, depending on their party affiliation, were contradictory to a certain extent. The dominant view is that the Eurozone should survive, but with reformed financial institutions and that in this situation the Czech Republic does not want to become its member, but to use its own currency, as well as that Greece should be supported in its reforms, but that it should honour its commitments to the donors. Furthermore, the Czech Republic has adopted the model of rational investment, especially in knowledge and productive investments, which is in a way an enhanced German model. In that regard, it prepared a whole pack of constitutional and legislative reforms, such as the fiscal pack and the Law on Budget Responsibility. In addition to that, the Czech Republic strictly follows the Maastricht criteria, and in the current situation receives from the EU funds much more than it invests in the EU from its own funds. They believe that the Czech Republic has not sufficiently used all the opportunities provided through the EU funds and their distribution in certain sectors and areas.

During the meeting with the Committee on European Affairs, the parliamentarians pointed out that the opinion to provide support to the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans countries was united, provided that it should be the result of ultimately transparent and confirmed process and reaching of the EU standards. The Czechs are basically Euro-realists, unlike dominant or significant processes in certain EU states regarding enlargement, especially toward Turkey. Furthermore, they pointed out that in the EU there was a battle for the influence and power which was contradictory to the views that each member state of the Union should be acknowledged.

During the meeting with members of the Electoral Committee, the Czech MPs presented the way in which their election process works, which is transparent and democratic and has consent and support from all political actors, be it the ruling party or the opposition. The Czech Ministry of Interior is in charge of keeping the Central Voters’ Register, which is fully transparent and regularly updated. The right to vote has any citizen with the Czech citizenship and residence in the Czech Republic. The election process is proportional, and the elections lists of candidates at the parliamentary elections are partially open, because, in addition to supporting a certain party, a voter has the right to select four candidates for MPs. The election process is transparent, legitimate and is conducted without pressure on voters, abuse of institutions or biased support of the media, especially the Public Service. The objections to regularity are minor and they are dealt with by the Election Commission, and then the Constitutional Court. At the local elections, the citizens elect their representatives at completely transparent lists and in accordance with the number of required seats.

During the talk with Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, who also performed functions of a public prosecutor and Minister of Justice, MP Benešová gave a number of examples of her fight against corruption and high level crime. Together with former Prime Minister Zeman, as a Supreme Public Prosecutor, seventeen years ago, she initiated the fight against corruption and action named “Mister Clean Hands”, which gave results. She is convinced that effects of fight against corruption and crime are not so dominant in the legal regulations and certain model but primarily depend on political will and willingness of Prime Minister and President primarily. She thinks that a spade should be called a spade and that various situations and state of plays should be pointed out, so it is necessary to seek for help of the EU and its institutions. She has initiated a set of concrete processes against corruption in judicial and prosecutorial institutions, stating on the occasion the concreate names and cases of some judges and prosecutors. Additionally, she pointed out that judiciary and supreme public prosecutor’s office must be independent, and that the influence of the Ministry of Justice must be minimal and transparent. In view of that, new legal reforms have been implemented currently, particularly when it comes to adoption of the Law on Prosecution, due to which the Minister of Justice had to resign since she had not submitted the Draft Law. On the occasion, the MP pointed out that Czech parliamentarians had a strong logistic support of the parliamentary service or a help by certain eminent institutions and experts from certain fields. With regard to that, there is a Parliamentary Institute which provides expert opinions and objections to the proposals for laws prior to so-called first reading. All parliamentary committees and parliamentary groups have experts who analyse each of proposed laws.

During the conversation with the Czech parliamentarians, Vice Presiden Radulović stated his positions on situation in Montenegro and numerous challenges in front of Montenegro, especially when it comes to establishment of the legal state, social and economic situation and integration capacities. Basically, Montenegro is still, in many ways, a pre-political society, with so-called facade or declarative democracy, while the content is completely different. The system institutions are controlled by the government or self-controlled, and there is no sovereignty of citizens exercised on elections, hence the government is not legitimate.

Vice President also pointed out that all elections held so far were irregular, since the government had used numerous mechanisms and pressures to achieve certain results. The affair “Recording” is the best proof for that, as stated in all reports of the European officials and institutions. Legal regulations, improved without being completely finished, and changes in the election process will not provide the holding of free and fair elections.

He emphasised that there was no essential fight against corruption. On the contrary, there is still a link of criminal structures, authorities and judicial authorities. The number of initiated crime investigations and their epilogue in judicial institutions for numerous affairs of the high corruption, both when it comes to international drug trafficking or privatisation procedures, is a proof for that. The adoption of the new legal regulations and election of the supreme public prosecutor in the existing relation of political parties will not have a major influence on the application of non-selective justice and revision of numerous illegal cases.

Vice President also emphasised that in economic and social sphere Montenegro was facing bankruptcy, as a result of the oligarchical-neoliberal concept, corrupt dealings and unproductive investment and debts. Integrational capacities of Montenegro in such situation are minimalistic, so all results required from Montenegro in all aspects, especially the rule of law, will be negative. For the record, all political actors and majority of general public support European integration, while, when it comes to NATO membership, the situation is reversed. In order to overcome all problems and to start establishing democratic and integration society in Montenegro, the opposition proposed establishment of the transitional government, whose mandate would be limited, and related primarily to organisation of the first free elections, energetic fight against all forms of crime, and especially high level crime, and prevention of further social and economic deterioration. Since the government responded negatively and arrogantly to such initiative, the true programme opposition and alternative will start non-institutional activities through protests.

The Czech parliamentarians agreed that the opposition activities in such conditions were rational, optimal and effective.

During the visit, they agreed that the cooperation between the two parliaments should be improved at all levels, particularly through the cooperation of committees. So, in the next months mutual visits of the Czech and Montenegrin committees on budget will be organised.