During the previous days, Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Branko Radulović paid an official visit to the Parliament of Portugal. During the visit, Vice President Radulović met Deputy Speaker of the Portuguese Parliament Mr Julio Miranda Calha, chairpersons and members of the European Affairs Committee, Committee on Economics and Public Works, Committee on Budget, Finance and Public Administration and Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.

The talks of Vice President Radulović and Portuguese parliamentarians were focused on current state of play and future of the European Union at economic, integration and security plan, with a special reference to state and experiences of Portugal as well as state and perspective of Montenegro and Western Balkans. 

Deputy Speaker of the Portuguese Parliament Mr Julio Miranda Calha said that all political actors in the existing ruling parties and opposition advocated for preservation of the European Union and Eurozone, wherein they dominantly considered that the role and functioning of the joint institutions of member states should be redefined and improved. When it comes to further enlargement process of the European Union, Vice President Calho underlined that political actors in Portugal advocated for its enlargement to the Western Balkan’s countries, but primarily as a consequence of fulfilment of criteria and standards. Vice President of the Portuguese Parliament said that he supported Montenegro in its European and NATO integration, stressing that already in this year concreate results must be achieved, particularly in fight against crime and high level corruption. With regard to Montenegro’s destiny, he said that its destiny depended on itself only, and that dynamics of integration processes would depend on measurable results, particularly in chapters 23 and 24, respectively fight against crime and high level corruption. Vice President Radulović voiced a great concern regarding the manner of organising elections in Montenegro and some other European states. He considers that free and fair elections are the basis of every democracy and that Portugal has achieved that about 40 years ago, and that in the present none of political actors had objections to their regularity and outcome. Additionally, he emphasised that opposition in Montenegro should advocate for meeting all presumptions and standards for the organisation of the next parliamentary elections, and that that problem must be institutionalised in Montenegro and European Union, in order to get necessary attention and interest of all actors. If the results are not achieved in this manner, other democratic mechanisms are possible.

During the meeting with members of the European Affairs Committee, Portuguese parliamentarians gave unique support to integrations of Montenegro and Western Balkan’s countries to the EU, while bringing into question whether Montenegro at the moment fulfilled many conditions, particularly when it comes to chapters 23 and 24. Some of parliamentarians think that enlargement will be achieved in the mid-term period and that it will not happen during the term of office of the existing EU administration. Portuguese parliamentarians were interested in the situation in the Western Balkans, particularly Kosovo. Also, they announced that they would visit Montenegro soon.

During the meeting with members of the Committee on Economics and Public Works and the Committee on Budget, Finance and Public Administration, numerous statements and views were voiced on that state and the future of the EU, Eurozone with special reference to the Portuguese experience during the three-year programme of international financial assistance by the EU and IMF. The unified opinion is that the debts need to be paid, which has been done by Portugal, believing in addition that the same should be done by Greece and other countries who received assistance by international financial institutions and the EU. As they pointed out, it was the matter of morality and pride of a state and the entire nation. They ultimately do not view international financial institutions negatively and they do not consider them to be the so-called “black trio”, but they view them as institutions that need to be fundamentally redefined both in relation to their position in the EU itself and in relation to the methods of financial support. The prevailing opinion was that reforms within the EU and Eurozone were necessary, that it should return to its basic ideas and documents upon which the EU was founded and to build a new future on the basis of that. The members of the committees pointed out that certain states were privileged compared to others in the EU and that such policy was negative for the transitioning states. In that respect they cited examples that business operations and more strict criteria were applied, even three times higher, for the best Portuguese company compared to the worst German company, and that in such conditions competitiveness and equal business opportunities for all could not be achieved. With regard to the Portuguese experience and the EU accession, they pointed out many benefits that the Portugal had received, especially regarding building of infrastructure. Before joining the EU, Portugal had not had developed transport infrastructure, and today it has extremely modern roads, while 70% of their construction costs had been covered by the EU funds. Montenegro should be building its road infrastructure that way, with participation of home operatives to the greatest extent possible. They reiterated that using the European funds should be highly transparent and effective and that investments in these times must be productive. New economic policy in Portugal, after filling the EU and IMF financial pack and paying the loan, reduced unemployment and increased buying power of the population. They realised that it was necessary to establish a Development Bank which would support productive investments and reduce interest rates even more, and they had already created legal preconditions for its establishment.

During the meeting with members of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, the Portuguese parliamentarians pointed out the significance of their committee both during the adoption of laws and their implementation. This Committee represents a hub in functioning of the overall legal system, and it connects all institutions and legal actors such as: judicial institutions, the Bar Association, Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice. This Committee’s members cannot fathom the fact that in certain countries full protection of human rights does not exist, that full human freedoms are not exercised and that the elections are not free.   

During the meetings, Vice President Radulović pointed out that the state in Montenegro was ultimately specific, that Montenegro was facing great challenges regarding the legal state, economic prosperity, social security, and integration capacities. Due to the nature of the regime, and many negative decisions and retrograde ideologies, with the current balance of power Montenegro’s possibilities are limited. In such perspective of Montenegro, there is a complete alternative for which legal conditions need to be made in order for it to be clearly supported by the opposition forces. With that goal, the opposition initiated the forming of a transit Government, however, unfortunately the regime rejected it. Certain legal presumptions have been adopted, but there is not sufficient political will to implement them. There have never been any free elections, which has been pointed out in all EU reports. Obviously, after exhausting all institutional possibilities, non-institutional methods and actions need to be undertaken. That will be a test for all opposition political actors regarding consistency of their actions.