NEWSLETTER OPEN PARLIAMENT · 2014-01-13 · Newsletter on the Parliament of Montenegro Performance...

CONTENT

Legislative and oversight activity..........................2

News from Parliament...............................................7

Vice President of the Parliament of MontenegroBranko Radulović opened the photographyexhibition of the previous four sessions of theChildren’s Parliament...............................................7Secretary General of the Parliament ofMontenegro Damir Davidović received LiaMagnaguagno, Head of the Sector forDemocratisation in the OSCE Mission toMontenegro.......................................................................7Members of the Committee on EuropeanIntegration met with Charles Tannock...........8On the occasion of the Day of Parliamentarismin Montenegro and 200 years since the birth ofPetar II Petrović Njegoš, a Ceremonious Sittingof the Parliament of Montenegro was held inCetinje...............................................................................8

In Focus.................................................................................9

Parliamentary glossary...........................................10

From the history of MontenegrinParliamentarism.....................................................11

From the Parliament’s gallery ............................11

Calendar............................................................................12

PARLIAMENTARY GLOSSARY

Do you know... what is multiculturalism?

p. 10

FFROM THE HISTORY OF MONTENEGRINPARLIAMENTARISM

Rules of Institution “Cetinjska Čitaonica i GorskiVijenac”

p. 11

FROM THE PARLIAMENT’S GALLERY

Mirjana Đurić Blagojević: „Blagojević Tower“

p. 11

IN FOCUS

President of the Parliament of Montenegro andPresident of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly RankoKrivokapić paid a visit to the United States of America

pp.910

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Newsletter on the Parliament of Montenegro Performance No. 32 November 2013

Parliament of Montenegro, Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog 10, 81000 Podgoricatel: +382 20 404 565; fax +382 20 245 125; email: [email protected]; www.skupstina.me

NEWSLETTEROPEN

PARLIAMENT

Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›

Dear readers,

The key information on activities of theParliament of Montenegro from 1 to 30 Novemberis outlined in the November issue of the monthlynewsletter “Open Parliament”, prepared by theService of the Parliament of Montenegro.

In November, the Parliament adopted five laws.The committees considered 21 proposals for a lawand proposals of other acts. Furthermore, thecommittees considered numerous reports andheld other activities within their oversight role.

In focus of this month’s newsletter is theworking visit of President of the Parliament ofMontenegro and President of the OSCEParliamentary Assembly Ranko Krivokapić to theUnited States of America.

The newsletter is published monthly as a partof the “Open Parliament” programme, withinwhich the Parliament endeavours to bring its workcloser to Montenegrin citizens. We consider thispublication to be very significant as a reliablesource of information regarding the work of theParliament and we hope that you will find it useful.

We remain open to your comments andsuggestions, as well as criticism, which can help usbring more quality to our work.

Respectfully,

Service of the Parliament

FOREWORD

LEGISLATIVE ANDOVERSIGHT ACTIVITY

At the Third Sitting of the Second OrdinarySession of the Parliament of Montenegro in 2013,the following Laws were adopted: the Law onConservation of Natural and Cultural-Historical Area ofKotor, the Law on Amendments to the Law on E-Commerce, the Law on Organic Production, the Law onProtection of Public Interests in Mining and MetallurgySector, the Law on Amendments to the Law onAdministrative Taxes.

In addition, during the Third Sitting, seven reportswere adopted, as follows: Performance Report onEnergy Sector in Montenegro in 2012, Report on theInsurance Market in Montenegro for 2012, Report onDevelopment and Protection of Minority Rights andOther Minority Communities Rights in 2012,Performance Report of the Commission for the Controlof Public Procurement Procedures for 2012,Performance Report of the Financial Stability Forum ofMontenegro for 2012, Performance Report of theDeposit Insurance Fund for 2012, Performance Reportof the Investment and Development Fund for 2012with the Report of the Independent Auditor on theaudit of Financial Statements of the IDF for 2012.

Proposal for the Law on Communal Police andProposal for the Resolution on Manner, Quality andDynamics of the Integration Process of Montenegro tothe European Union were withdrawn from theprocedure.

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Parliament of Montenegro

ISSN 18009034

Newsletter on the Parliament of Montenegro Performance Electronic format Release: monthly Year III No. 32 November 2013

Newsletter is a part of the programme “Open Parliament”, aimed at increasing transparency of work of the Parliament ofMontenegro and citizen participation in the parliamentary activities. The newsletter is edited by the Service of the Parliament.


OPEN PARLIAMENT

Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›Bilten o radu Vlade Crne Gore Elektronsko izdanje Izlazi petnaestodnevno Godina II Broj 17 1›

Prime Minister’s Hour

At the Fifth (Special) Sitting of the Second OrdinarySession of the Parliament of Montenegro in2013,within the item of the agenda “Prime Minister’sHour”, MPs’ questions were answered by Prime Ministerof Montenegro Milo Đukanović. The Prime Minister wasposed six questions.

Proposals for laws deliberated in committees

• Proposal for a Law on Ratification of the AdditionalBilateral Agreement to the European Convention onExtradition from 13 December 1957, aimed atfacilitating its implementation was considered andproposed to the Parliament for adoption by theCommittee on International Relations and Emigrants.

• Proposal for a Law on Ratification of the AdditionalBilateral Agreement to the European Convention onMutual Provision of Legal Assistance from 20 April1959, aimed at facilitating its implementation wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Committee on International Relationsand Emigrants.

• Proposal for a Law on Ratification of the Protocolon Cooperation Between the Government ofMontenegro and His Serene Highness the Prince ofMonaco in the Field of Sustainable Developmentwas considered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Legislative Committee and theCommittee on International Relations and Emigrants.

• Proposal for a Law on Ratification of the Conventionon the Protection and Use of TransboundaryWatercourses and International Lake Amendmentsto Articles 25 and 26 of the Convention on theProtection and Use of TransboundaryWatercourses and International Lakes wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Legislative Committee and theCommittee on International Relations and Emigrants.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the CustomsLaw was considered and proposed to the Parliamentfor adoption by the Legislative Committee.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onHousing and Maintenance of Residential Buildingswas considered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Legislative Committee.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onAdministrative Fees was considered and proposed tothe Parliament for adoption by the Committee onEconomy, Finance and Budget.

• Proposal for a Law on Protection of State Interestsin Mining and Metallurgy Sector was considered bythe Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget. TheCommittee decided to propose to the Parliament not toadopt it.

• Proposal for a Law on Consumer Protection wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament for

adoption by the Legislative Committee.• Proposal for a Law on Interest Writeoffs on Tax and

Customs Duties was considered and proposed to theParliament for adotion by the Committee on Economy,Finance and Budget and the Legislative Committee.

• Proposal for a Law on Supplements to the Law onCorporate Profit Tax was considered and proposed tothe Parliament for adoption by the Committee onEconomy, Finance and Budget and the LegislativeCommittee.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onInsurance Premiums Tax was considered andproposed to the Parliament for adoption by theCommittee on Economy, Finance and Budget.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the LabourLaw was considered and proposed to the Parliamentfor adoption by the Committee on Health, Labour andSocial Welfare. The law proposal was also consideredby the Legislative Committee, which decided to proposeto the Parliament not to adopt it.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to theTrademark Law was considered and proposed to theParliament for adoption by the Committee on Economy,Finance and Budget.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onProtection from Noise in the Environment wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture,Ecology and Spatial Planning.

• Proposal for a Law on Ratification of the StockholmConvention on Persistent Organic Pollutants wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Legislative Committee.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onSocial Council was considered and proposed to theParliament for adoption by the Committee on Health,Labour and Social Welfare.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onForeign Investments was considered and proposed tothe Parliament for adoption by the LegislativeCommittee.

• Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law onNational and Other Holidays was considered andproposed to the Parliament for adoption by theLegislative Committee.

• Proposal for a Law on Communal Activities wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture,Ecology and Spatial Planning.

• Proposal for the Law on Old Royal Capital wasconsidered and proposed to the Parliament foradoption by the Committee on Political System,Judiciary and Administration.

Proposals for other acts deliberated in committees

• Proposal for a Decision on Awarding Concession forCommercial Use of the Port Terminals for Loading

Bilten je dio programa „Otvoreni parlament”, koji za cilj ima povećanje transparentnosti rada Skupštine Crne Gore i učešća građana u parlamentarnim aktivnostima. Bilten uređuje Služba Skupštine.

Skupština Crne Gore, Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog 10, 81000 Podgoricatel: +382 20 404 565; fax +382 20 245 125; email: [email protected]; www.skupstina.me 3




and Unloading of the Containers and General Cargoin the area of KO Novi Bar was considered andproposed to the Parliament for adoption by theCommittee on Economy, Finance, and Budget.

• Proposal for a Decision on Adopting the Annex 1 ofthe Contract on Renting the Hotel “Kraljičina plaža”in Budva was considered and proposed to theParliament for adoption by the Committee on Economy,Finance, and Budget.

• Proposal for a Decision on Adopting the Annex 1 ofthe Contract on Renting the Hotel “Sveti Stefan” and“Miločer” in Budva was considered and proposed tothe Parliament for adoption by the Committee onEconomy, Finance, and Budget.

• Proposal for a Decision on Adopting the Contract onLongTerm Renting of the Land, signed between theGovernment of Montenegro and the NorthstarConsortium JSC Podgorica and the Eguest CapitalLimited Jersey, UK was considered and proposed tothe Parliament for adoption by the Committee onEconomy, Finance and Budget.

Other activities of the working bodies

• At the fifteenth meeting of the ConstitutionalCommittee held on 6 November, Velizar Kaluđerovićwas elected as Deputy Chair of the Committee. Inaddition, the Committee determined the text of PublicNotice for the election of five judges of the ConstitutionalCourt of Montenegro.

• At the 40th meeting of the Legislative Committee heldon 28 November, the Committee determined the revisedtext of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament ofMontenegro.

• At the 29th meeting held on 7 November, the Committeeon Political System, Judiciary and Administrationconsidered and determined the text of the Open VacancyAnnouncement for election of four members of theJudicial Council as well as the text of the Open VacancyAnnouncement for election of four members of theProsecutorial Council.

At the 30th meeting of the Committee, held on 29November, the Committee established the list ofapplicants for the Public Notice for the election of fourmembers of the Judicial Council among respectablejurists as well as the list of applicants for the OpenVacancy Announcement for the election of fourmembers of the Prosecutorial Council amongrespectable jurists. In addition, the Committeedetermined the Rulebook on Procedure for Establishingthe Proposal for Election of Four Members of the JudicialCouncil among the respectable jurists and the Rulebookon Procedure for Establishing the Proposal for Electionof Four Members of the Prosecutorial Council among therespectable jurists.

• Security and Defence Committee marked the secondcontinuation of the eleventh meeting on 19 November,by discussing Information on the “Listing” affair in thelight of arresting Naser Keljmendi. Following theintroductory statements of representatives ofcompetent authorities and discussion afterwards, theCommittee members did not support the proposedconclusions.

• At the 32nd meeting of the Committee on Economy,Finance and Budget held on 4 November, theCommittee considered the implementation of threegroups of conclusions of the Parliament of Montenegro,referring to the Aluminium Plant JSC Podgorica. TheCommittee, Inter alia deemed it necessary that theBankruptcy Administrator of KAP should report to theCommittee every fifteen days on the current situation inthis company.

The 30th meeting of the Committee, which started on 21October, was concluded on 11 November, by ending aconsultative discussion (hearing) on the topic“Implementation of the Law on NGOs regarding theirfunding”.

At the first continuation of the 34th meeting held on 20November, the Committee established proposals forconclusion on the occasion of considering the following:Performance Report of the Investment andDevelopment Fund for 2012, Performance Report of theFinancial Stability Forum of Montenegro for 2012 andPerformance Report of the Deposit Insurance Fund for2012.

At its 35th meeting held on 22 November, the Committeedecided to propose to the Parliament to adopt thefollowing: Proposal for the Financial Statement with thePerformance Report of the Agency for ElectronicCommunications and Postal Services, Proposal for theFinancial Statement with the Performance Report of theAgency for Electronic Media, Proposal for the FinancialStatement with the Performance Report of the EnergyRegulatory Agency, Proposal for the Financial Statementwith the Performance Report of the InsuranceSupervision Agency, Proposal for the FinancialStatement with the Performance Report of the Agencyfor Medicines and Medical Devices as well as Proposalfor the Financial Statement of the SecuritiesCommission. The Committee also decided to propose tothe Parliament to give a consent to the Statute of theAgency for Electronic Communications and PostalServices .

At the 36th meeting held on 28 November, the Committeeconsidered the degree of implementation of theconclusions adopted by the Parliament of Montenegroat the Third Sitting of the Second Ordinary Session in2012.

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At the 37th meeting held on 29 November, the Committeeconsidered a Proposal for a Law on Budget FinalAccount of Montenegro for 2012 with the Report onAudit of the Final Budget Statement of Montenegro for2012. The Committee was also informed on the opinionof the State Audit Institution on the Proposal for theBudget Final Account, containing the establishedirregularities and recommendation, referring to thefollowing: analysis and computational accuracy, receiptsand expenditure of the budget, capital budget, propertyand public procurement.

• At the first joint meeting of the Committee on PoliticalSystem, Judiciary and Administration andCommittee on Economy, Finance and Budget held on11 November, the Committee held a control hearing ofRaško Konjević, Minister of Interior and Radoje Žugić,Minister of Finance, on the topic: “Analysis offunctioning of local self-governments”. The purpose ofthe control hearing was analysing the functioning oflocal self-governments and reviewing ofimplementation of legislation in this field as well asdefining problems which would be solved by theupcoming amendments to the normative acts, inter alia,amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government.

• At the nineteenth meeting held on 11 November, theCommittee on Human Rights and Freedomsconsidered and adopted the Report on Results ofConducted Research on Protection of Children fromExploitation. In addition, the Committee has decided tohold a Regional meeting of parliamentary workingbodies of the regional countries, competent in the fieldof human rights and rights of the child, and theombudsmen for children of regional countries,on thetopic: “Rights of the Child: Promotion of the position ofthe child aimed at protection from all forms ofexploitation”. At the same meeting, the Committeeadopted the Information from the Public debate on thetopic: “IPA 2014-2020 and inclusion of Roma andEgyptians in Montenegro”. The Committee also adoptedthe Report on the participation of the Delegation of theCommittee on Human Rights and Freedoms at the Firstregional meeting of the parliamentary bodiescompetent for human and minority rights and genderequality, which was held in Belgrade. Additionally, theCommittee got acquainted with the letter of Minister forHuman and Minority Rights Suad Numanović, in whichhe called the Committee on Human Rights andFreedoms to appoint two representatives for membersof the Working Group which would deal with theanalysis of legislation governing the work of the Fundfor Protection and Exercising of Minority Rights.Afterwards,the Committee decided to appoint HusnijaŠabović as the representative of the ruling coalition inthe Working Group, while the representative of theopposition will be determined subsequently.

• The sixteenth meeting of the Gender Equality

Committee was held on 1 November in Pljevlja, on thetopic: “Economic Empowerment of Women and Womenin Politics and Decision-Making”. During thediscussion,the participants pointed out that theeconomic empowerment of women represented a basisfor strengthening their role in society as well as that theeconomic independence of women was the key to theiroverall equality.

At the seventeenth meeting of the Committee held on 15November, the Committee decided to hold a controlhearing of the following: Minister of Labour and SocialWelfare Predrag Bošković, Minister of Health MiodragRadunović, and Director of the Police AdministrationSlavko Stojanović on the topic: Implementation of the2011-2015 Strategy on Protection against DomesticViolence .

At its eighteenth meeting, held on 18 November, theGender Equality Committee held a control hearing ofBožena Jelušić and Art Historian Ljiljana Zeković on thetopic: “Female Characters in Njegoš's Work“. Theconsultative hearing was organised on the occasion ofcelebrating 200 years since the birth of Petar II PetrovićNjegoš.

At the nineteenth meeting of the Committee held on 25November, the Committee held a control hearing of thefollowing: Minister of Labour and Social Welfare PredragBošković, Assistant Minister of Health Mensud Grbović,and Director of the Police Administration SlavkoStojanović, on the topic: “Implementation of the 2011-2015 Strategy on Protection against Domestic Violence”.The meeting was also attended by the representativesof the United Nations, the European Union, and the OSCEMission to Montenegro. During the meeting, theCommittee adopted several conclusions.

At the 20th meeting of the Gender Equality Committeeheld on 26 November, Marije Cornelissen, a member ofthe European Parliament presented the Report onWomen’s Rights in the Western Balkans. In the reporton Montenegro, the introduction of measures forachieving gender equality into the reform programmeof Montenegro on its path to the EU was welcomed aswell as the efforts made by the Parliament ofMontenegro to methodically investigate theimplementation of legislation in the field of equality. Ina part of the report, it is also mentioned that thepercentage of women in the political decision-making,had not increased significantly in the past severaldecades, and therefore the Government was urged toreform the legislation in this field and ensure itsimplementation. The following requirements were alsomade:The increase of human and financial resources forthe Department for Gender Equality Affairs, theimplementation of the legal and institutional frameworkaimed at enforcing gender equality and the Gender





Equality Action Plan.

• At the nineteenth meeting of the Committee onEducation, Science, Culture and Sports, held on 5November, Members of the Committee decided to sendto the Collegium of the President a proposal forcomposition of the Committee delegation, which willpay a study visit to theFinnish Parliament.

At the twentieth meeting held on 27 November, theCommittee got acquainted with the Report from theseminar on the topic “Youth and Education in theBalkans”, held on 6 and 7 November 2013, in theEuropean Parliament in Brussels. In addition, theCommittee has elected Zdenka Popović as the DeputyChair of the Committee.

At the 21st meeting, on 27 November, the Committee onEducation, Science, Culture and Sports, held a controlhearing of Minister of Education Slavoljub Stijepović, onthe topic :“Exploitation of Preschool-Age Children forPolitical Party Purposes in the Kindergarten ’Zvjezdanivrt’, Golubovci”. The Minister of Education pointed outbefore the members of the Committee on Education,Science, Culture and Sports that the event in thekindergarten in Golubovci was an oversight committedby the representatives of the Youth Council of DPS andan isolated case, not a common occurrence. This is alsoconfirmed by the fact that no similar case had beenrecorded in the education system in the previousperiod.The Committee has also adopted severalconclusions.

• At the 22nd meeting held on 12 November, theCommittee on Health, Labour and Social Welfareconsidered the following item of the agenda:Employment of foreign labour force and possibility ofgreater employment of domestic labour force.TheCommittee also held a discussion on the following:unemployment in Montenegro; unemployment in theregion; unemployment in the EU; Programme forStimulating Entrepreneurship; Law on ProfessionalTraining, active politics of employment; employment

and work of foreigners; on the level of education ofpeople to whom work permits were issued. Followingthe discussion, several consusions were adopted.

The Committee devoted its 24th meeting to thecelebration of World Diabetes Day. In addition toCommittee members, the meeting was also attended bySreten Kavarić, Director of the Internal Clinic of ClinicalCentre of Montenegro and Dragan Likić, Head of theRegistry for Diabetes in the Institute of Public Health.

The Committee dedicated its 25th meeting held on 18November to the current situation following the strikeof the disabled workers in Bijelo Polje, Rožaje, andMojkovac.

• At the eighth meeting of the AnticorruptionCommittee, Obrad Mišo Stanišić was elected as theDeputy Chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee.

At the ninth meeting, held on 27 November, theCommittee decided to schedule a consultative hearing,following the MANS initiative regarding removal ofidentification numbers from online register version ofthe Central Registry of Commercial Entities and RealEstate Administration. The consultative hearing isscheduled for 27 December, and the following will beinvited: Director of the Tax Administration, Director ofthe Real Estate Administration and Director of theCouncil of the Agency for Personal Data Protection andFree Access to Information.

• At the seventeenth meeting of the AdministrativeCommittee held on 5 November, the Committee held aconsultative hearing of six candidates for appointmentof one member of the Senate of the State AuditInstitution, as follows: Branko Bulatović, Zarija Pejović,Nela Ćuković, Radule Žurić, Žarko Đurišić and MilanRadović.

At its eighteenth meeting, the Committee stated that theRequests for exercising the right to compensation afterthe expiration of term of office until gaining the right topension, submitted by a former MP Mehmet Bardhi washanded in a timely manner, but was not complete, thusit is necessary for Bardhi to submit the relevant prooffrom the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund ofMontenegro, thus, enabling the Committee to reach adecision, in line with the Article 10, paragraph 5 of theLaw on Wages and Other Incomes of Civil Servants andState Employees of Montenegro.

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NEWS FROM PARLIAMENT

Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro BrankoRadulović opened the photography exhibition of the

previous four sessions of the Children’s Parliament on 20November.

Vice President Radulović said that the Parliament ofMontenegro organised the exhibition of photographs incooperation with the Child Rights Centre and Save theChildren in the North West Balkans, on the occasion of 20November - the Day of the adoption of the UN Conventionon the Rights of the Child.

Vice President Radulović reminded that Montenegro,as a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,found its place among advanced countries committed tosecuring and protecting the rights of the child.Theexhibition, set up in the hall of the Parliament ofMontenegro, represents the retrospective of the projectChildren’s Parliament, when representatives of theGovernment of Montenegro answer questions posed bychildren from all Montenegrin municipalities. Theretrospective is presented through photographs whichdepict the maturing of idea and improvement of the model

of children participation in social processes, because theindividual contribution of every child is an additionalquality and contribution to democracy.

In addition to Vice President Radulović, Ranka Perović,Director of the Children’s Rights Centre and participant ofthe Children’s Parliament Iva Maraš also took floor. Theopening of the exhibition was also attended by childrenwho participated and co-chaired the previous sessions ofthe Children’s Parliament in the Parliament of Montenegro,representatives of the Children’s Rights Center as well asrepresentatives of MPs groups in the Parliament ofMontenegro.

Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro Branko Radulović opened thephotography exhibition of the previous four sessions of the Children’s Parliament


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Secretary General of the Parliament of Montenegro Damir Davidović received LiaMagnaguagno, Head of the Sector for Democratisation in the OSCE Mission to Montenegro

Secretary General of the Parliament of MontenegroDamir Davidović received Lia Magnaguagno, Head of

the Sector for Democratisation in the OSCE Mission toMontenegro. The interlocutors spoke on possibilities offurther cooperation between the Parliament ofMontenegro and OSCE Mission as well as of future modelsof the OSCE support. During the meeting, the previoussuccessful cooperation was emphasised and it wasconcluded that there was enough space for its furthercontinuation. With regard to that, Magnaguagnoexpressed willingness of the Mission to provide supportto the Parliament for concerned fields, particularly interms of strengthening the oversight role of parliamentand improvement of the work of working bodies.

Secretary General informed the interlocutor on mostimportant changes in the work of the Parliament ofMontenegro, introduced during the previous yearswiththe aim of further strengthening of the oversight rolethrough establishing the practice of regular considerationof implementation of laws, state of play in some areas andmonitoring implementation of conclusion by committees.Introducing the regular planning in all fields haveprovided the work of the parliament and work of theworking bodies to be directed to priority fields andafterwards to be monitored systematically. In addition, itwas talked on the role of the Parliament in the process ofaccession negotiations with the European Union and on

the extension of competences of lead committees inmonitoring and assessing the harmonisation of laws withEU acquis. The interlocutors spoke on strengthening theadministrative capacities of the Parliamentary Service,primarily through improvement of the professionalsupport to MPs, analysis of harmonisation of legislation,participation in working groups for preparation ofnegotiations and development of the research sector. Theparticipants of the meeting considered models for supportto implementation of projects that the Parliament wouldpay a special attention to in the following period, such as:project of e-parliament, live broadcast of working bodiesmeetings as well as further realisation of “DemocraticWorkshops” project. Secretary General expressed hisgratitude for the assistance provided in drafting theParliamentary Glossary, which have been on-going, as wellas on the overall previous help of the OSCE Mission.


Members of the Committee on European Integration met with Charles Tannock

Members of the Committee on EuropeanIntegration met with Charles Tannock, member

of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the EuropeanParliament and rapporteur of the European Parliamentfor Montenegro, in order to exchange impressions oncurrent issues regarding European integration processof Montenegro, particularly in the part of pre-accessionnegotiations.

The MEP emphasised that Montenegro had been ona good path regarding integration processes, praisingthe course of negotiations in terms of government’sand parliament’s role. He particularly emphasised theimportance of sending the positive message toBrussels when it comes to opening of chapters 23 and24, also stating that the focus was placed at internallydisplaced persons, their social inclusion, then issuescovered by the chapter 8 relating the competence andactual issues on regional cooperation as well asmembership of Montenegro to NATO.

The Rapporteur of the European Parliament forMontenegro voiced pleasure over Montenegro’s

progress on the European path, announcing that thereport which was expected to be published inFebruary would be positive. On that occasion he statedthat it was exceptionally important for Montenegro’spolitical parties to connect with European Parliamentpolitical parties, i.e. to cooperate at transnational level.Committee members agreed that there were crucialissues covered by chapters 23 and 24, which neededto be resolved, emphasising that the implementationof those was expected in December of the current year.

On this occasion, participants voiced expectationthat Montenegro would continue to work on buildingthe adequate legislative framework which would befollowed by the full implementation - finally resultingin adoption of European values and standards. Inaddition to Tannock, the meeting was also attended byMitja Drobnič, Head of the European Union Delegationto Montenegro as well as Jonathan Lis, the advisor tothe Rapporteur.

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On the occasion of the Day of Parliamentarism in Montenegro and 200 years since thebirth of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, a Ceremonious Sitting of the Parliament of Montenegro

was held in Cetinje

On the occasion of the Day of Parliamentarism inMontenegro and 200 years since the birth of

Petar II Petrović Njegoš, a Ceremonious Sitting of theParliament of Montenegro was held in Cetinje on 13November. In his speech held on that occasion,President of the Parliament of Montenegro RankoKrivokapić said that a long history of diverse formsof parliamentary tradition in Montenegro had beencreated by a decisiveness of action of Petar IIPetrović Njegoš, and this year we marked 200 yearssince his birth with piety and pride:“It is not byaccident that Saint Petar the First is the greatestPetrović. To take his place was a difficult task. Njegoštook that burden at an early age of seventeen. Andcreated work of everlasting worth. Both Saint Petarand Njegoš brought Montenegro closer to Europewith regard to civilisation, which was founded on aunique relation of the Roman Law, Christian heritageand free art and thought and all other religions thatvisited its space. Saint Petar was European as alawmaker and thinker of political and holy”, said

Krivokapić. Krivokapić said that Montenegronowadays was not the same as Montenegro from thetime of Njegoš, but a civic state, multicultural societyof all Montenegrin citizens, in which all religionswere equal, in which the cross and the crescent astwo fearsome, juxtaposed symbols, stood inharmony. “However, that kind of civic and multi-confessional Montenegro would not be possiblewithout Njegoš, and the things which he had left ashis legacy”, concluded the President Krivokapić in hisspeech.


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Centar za demokratsku tranziciju, VII Omladinske bb, Podgorica; tel: +382 20 207 070, 207 071; fax +382 20 207 072; email: cdtmn@tcom.me; www.cdtmn.org

NAZIV PROJEKTA: OTVORENE INSTITUCIJEProjekat finansira Evropska unija posredstvom Delegacije Evropske unije u Crnoj Gori







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IN FOCUS

President of the Parliament of Montenegro andPresident of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Ranko Krivokapić paid a visit to the United States ofAmerica. On the first day of the visit, PresidentKrivokapić met with Senator John McCain; Chairmanof the U.S. Delegation to the NATO ParliamentaryAssembly, Congressman Michael Turner and Chair ofthe Subcommittee on European Affairs of the U.S.Senate Christopher Murphy.

During the meeting with McCain, one of the mostinfluential U.S. politicians, it was stated that the U.S.strongly supported the idea of Montenegrinmembership to NATO. McCain emphasised thatMontenegro had been already contributing tospreading of the Alliance ideas as well as that themajority of obligations on its path to the membershipwere already fulfilled. Congressman Michael Turner,Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the NATOParliamentary Assembly, during the meeting withKrivokapić, stated that NATO's presence in the countryprevents a threat to democracy in each country. On theoccasion, the interlocutors agreed that the interest ofthe U.S. was for Montenegro to become a full-fledgedNATO Alliance member, adding that it had met themajority of criteria on that path. Chair of theSubcommittee on European Affairs of the U.S. SenateChristopher Murphy echoed the U.S. commitment toEuro-Atlantic aspirations of Montenegro, stressingthat it was important for Montenegro to remaincommitted to European and Euro-Atlantic integration,adding that its membership, as a part of open-doorpolicy, would remain one of the priorities of theCommittee on European Affairs of the Senate.President Krivokapić participated in a paneldiscussion in the U.S. Congress on the withdrawal oftroops from Afghanistan in 2014, organised on the

occasion of his visit to the Congress. Five prominentcongressmen dealing with the future of NATO havealso discussed the role of Montenegro in the mission,emphasising that the role of Montenegro, as a stabilityfactor in the region, contributed to quality policy in thefield of NATO contribution missions.

As the President of the OSCE ParliamentaryAssembly, Krivokapić met with members of theHelsinki Commission, speaking with them on thereform of the OSCE, since the 40th anniversary of theHelsinki Final Act is to be celebrated soon.

On the second day of the visit, President Krivokapićmet congressmen Eliot Engel, Doug Lamborn andMike Michaud. During the conversation withKrivokapić, congressmen expressed unequivocalsupport to Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Montenegro,promising that they would make further efforts aimedat helping Montenegrin membership to NATO, bywhich the only part of the Mediterranean coast notbeing under the Alliance protection would be covered.Krivokapić also met Karen Donfried, European affairsspecialist Advisor to President Barak Obama.Krivokapić and Donfried spoke on challenges thatMontenegro had been facing with on its path to NATOmembership and the means by which the U.S.government could enable faster overcoming ofobstacles along the way. Interlocutors agreed thatMontenegro had made a great progress in just 7 yearssince the restoration of its independence as well asthat its commitment was a motive for NATO allies tolobby on its behalf.

In honour of Krivokapić’s visit to the Congress, theofficial inauguration of Montenegrin caucus wasorganised. The inauguration of caucus in the U.S.Congress is a ceremonious act symbolising new note

President of the Parliament of Montenegro and President of the OSCE ParliamentaryAssembly Ranko Krivokapić paid a visit to the United States of America














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of friendship between Montenegro and U.S. A greatnumber of representatives of the legislative power inthe U.S. joined the Montenegrin caucus, by which agreat affection to Montenegro by the electedrepresentatives of the American government wasdemonstrated. Congressman Doug Lamborn, a co-chairof the caucus, said on that occasion that Montenegrowas an important part of Europe, and NATO was a keycoalition of important world’s states and Montenegroshould become a part of it. The aim of caucus is toestablish a mechanism which would additionallydeepen relations between the two states, but alsopromote numerous joint interest. President Krivokapićthanked U.S. congressmen, saying that it was brave tosupport a small state of a great history, and that theUnited States nourished common values throughouthistory, starting from 1905, when the U.S. had its firstambassador to Montenegro. In addition, Krivokapićreferred to Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Montenegro:“We are the future of NATO in the Balkans”.

During the visit, Krivokapić also met with NancyPelosi the Democratic Leader of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives. President Krivokapić expressedpleasure over another meeting, considering that theyhad their first meeting in 2007, when Pelosi was theSpeaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He thanked Pelosi on the continuous support thatthe USA had been giving to Montenegro with regard tothe implementation of one of its top priorities – NATOAlliance integration.Krivokapić emphasised that it wasvery important for Montenegro to encourage andpromote its cooperation with the USA, as the strategicpartner on the path to further democratic developmentof our country. Further democratisation andstrengthening of the rule of law are issues of crucialimportance for Montenegro, and the dynamics andquality of the integration process that we are in,depend on them.The interlocutors especially pointedout the inauguration of the Congressional MontenegroCaucus as a new important mechanism of furtherstrengthening of partnership between the twocountries.In Washington, during the Strategic Sessionwhich was held in the Atlantic Council, PresidentKrivokapić held a lecture, on the topic “Montenegroand NATO”. President Krivokapić emphasised that forMontenegro, the NATO membership meant alliancewith the democratic and economically prosperouscountries of the world. “Being together with suchcountries, for Montenegro meant having moredemocracy and the rule of law. The NATO membershipalso creates conditions for a more intensive economicdevelopment and more actual strategic investors whichwould benefit our economy”. While answeringnumerous questions of the participants in the session,Krivokapić emphasised that Montenegro wouldcontinue to fulfil the NATO membership criteria, citingthat the security framework of the Alliance wasespecially needed in the region,which had been a placeof tragic conflicts in the recent past.

Ian Brzezinski, American foreign policy andmilitary affairs expert, spoke in the session on behalfof the Atlantic Council. President Krivokapić alsovisited the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and metwith Bojana Perošević, the first Montenegrin ladyattending this prestigious Academy.

Multiculturalism. “Multiculturalism is used as a descriptive and normative notion. Primarily, it signifiescultural diversity as a result of two or more groups existing within the society, whose beliefs and practiceslead to creation of different collective identities. Multiculturalism is inextricably linked to a diversity ofcommunities, originating from racial, ethnical and language diversity. As a normative notion, it signifiesacceptance of diversity within the community, which is based on the right of diverse cultural groups to respectand recognition or on the alleged benefits which moral and cultural diversity brings to the society as a whole.Multiculturalism recognizes the importance of beliefs, values and ways of life, aimed at achieving self-understanding and feeling of self worth of individuals or groups. Its critics claim that multicultural societiesare naturally unstable and filled with conflicts, while normative multiculturalism is considered as an exampleof political correctness.”1

1 Endru Hejvud, Politika(Politics), Beograd, Clio 2004, p. 231

PARLIAMENTARY GLOSSARY

Rules of Institution “Cetinjska Čitaonica iGorski Vijenac”

9/24 November 1900

RULESOF

INSTITUTION “CETINJSKA ČITAONICA I GORSKI VIJENAC”

Institutions “CETINJSKA ČITAONICA” and “GORSKIVIJENAC”, joined together economically into a single

Institution on 16 December 1897, under the Highprotection of His Highness Great Duke and PrinceMIRKO, and today, they established the following

Rules.***

GOAL

ARTICLE 1

The goal of the Insitution is achieving mentalperfection, nourishing national sentiments and the

physichal development of its members.

Article 2

The Institution shall achieve its goal byestablishing a Reading room and a library(which

should acquire Gazettes and books , primarily inSerbian, afterwards in Slavic, and if possible inforeign languages), by publishing its Literary

Gazette, nurturing music, organising: speeches,gatherings, parties, social outings and introducing

gymnastics.***

Article 5Every honest person, regardless of gender and

position, shall be allowed to become a member ofthe Insitution.

Article 6

The authority to decide on all types ofmembership, shall be given to honorary persons and

the Executive Board, which shall not provide anyinformation on it.

***From Rules of the Institution “Cetinjska Čitaonica

i Gorski Vijenac”

Cetinje, 9 November 1900.

Pavićević, B, Raspopović, R, ur. Crnogorskizakonici 17961916, knj. II, Podgorica, Istorijski

institut Crne Gore, 1998, str. 471-480


Mirjana Đurić Blagojević: „ Blagojević Tower”

The Parliamentary art collection also includes works of an autodidact,which have drawn the attention of the public through specific

achievement approach and recognizable motifs. A representative of suchpainting circle is also Mirjana Đurić Blagojević, who certainly knows herway around painting, by conquering space without using any unnecessarymoves, thus creating an atmosphere of landscapes which she loves anddepicting the scent of flowers, predominantly used in her work withwatercolour. Mirjana Đurić Blagojević was a member of the Association ofOriginal Fine Artists of Montenegro, Reveille Painting and The Association

of Creators of Montenegro.

FROM PARLIAMENT’S GALLERY

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FROM THE HISTORY OF MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENTARISM

1 November

• Vice President of the Parliament of MontenegroSuljo Mustafić recieved Coordinator of the TurkishInternational Cooperation and DevelopmentAgency – TIKA Mustafa Yazici and Head of the OfficeMerdan Krlić. Vice President Mustafić highlightedthe significance of TIKA, as an organisationcontributing to the implementation of high qualityprojects in Montenegro as well as improving thedevelopment of infrastructure, education andhealth institutions.TIKA Coordinator Mustafa Yazicisaid that it is very important that TIKA issupporting the realisation of projects in differentparts of Montenegro, this being beneficial for the allthe citizens. Vice President pointed out that throughhis further suggestions and proposals, he woulddirect organisation towards under-developed areaswhere the need for investing in infrastructure,agriculture, education and sports was greater.

4 November

• At the 30th meeting of the Working Group forBuilding Trust in the Election Process held on 4November, the Working Group considered the DraftLaw on Amendments to the Law on Election ofCouncillors and MPs.

5 November

• President of the Parliament of Montenegro RankoKrivokapić received Ambassador of Czech RepublicHana Hubackova for a farewell visit. Krivokapic andHubackova noted good relations betweenMonteengro and Czech Republic, and also aproductive cooperation between these two.Krivokapić thanked Hubackova on her engagementduring which a more intensive cooperation withCzech Republic has been reached. Hubackovaemphasised that Czech Republic will continue tosupport Montenegro on its path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.

• At its 31st meeting held on 5 November, the WorkingGroup for Building Trust in the Election Processcontinued the discussion on the Draft Law onAmendments to the Law on Election of Councillorsand MPs. The meeting was marked by discussion onthe proposed model of electronic identification atthe polling station.

6 November

• Parliamentary Seminar on the topic “Young andeducation in the Western Balkans countries” was heldon 6 and 7 November in Brussels. Delegation of theParliament of Montenegro composed of: Saša Pešić,Branka Bošnjak, Andrija Popović and Obrad Goković,participated in the Seminar. During the seminar,special attention was paid to vocational education andunemployment of the young people. With the aim ofresolving the unemployment problem, i.e. discrepancybetween acquired skills and labour market needs, theparticipants emphasised the importance of possessingkey competences, especially knowledge of foreignlanguages, IT knowledge and entrepreneurship skills.It was concluded that MPs from national parliamentsof the Western Balkan and Turkey should be moreactive in terms of providing support to the reform ofeducation system, both through legislative measuresand by exercising of parliament’s control role.

7 November

• President of the Parliament of Montenegro and OSCEPA Ranko Krivokapić received Minister of Defence ofthe Republic of Macedonia Talat Xhaferi with hisdelegation. President Krivokapić pointed out that thestrength of cooperation between Montenegro andMacedonia had been increased, not only by closecommon past, but also by common strategic goalstowards the NATO and the EU. It was highlighted thatMontenegro and Macedonia could serve as an exampleof regional cooperation, especially having in mind thatthere were no open issues between the two countries.President Krivokapić reminded that particularly thecountries in this region could resolve their issues mostefficiently through parliamentary dimensions, andthus invited Minister Xhaferi to share commonexperiences as contribution to strengthening stability,at the following Cetinje Parliamentary Forum, throughmeeting of the parliamentary committees on defenceand security and line ministers.


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Bilten je dio programa „Otvoreni parlament”, koji za cilj ima povećanje transparentnosti rada Skupštine Crne Gore i učešća građana u parlamentarnim aktivnostima. Bilten uređuje Služba Skupštine.

Skupština Crne Gore, Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog 10, 81000 Podgoricatel: +382 20 404 565; fax +382 20 245 125; email: [email protected]; www.skupstina.me 12




• Chair of the Committee on Human Rights andFreedoms Halil Duković, met with Head of theUNICEF Office to Montenegro Benjamin Perks.During the meeting, participants disussed waysoffurthering cooperation between the Committee onHuman Rights and Freedoms and the UNICEF Officein Montenegro.

• Chair of the Commission for Monitoring and Controlof the Privatisation Procedure Janko Vučinić andDeputy Chair Branko Čavor held a meeting withrepresentatives of former workers and creditors ofElectrical Industry “Obod” JSC Cetinje Đuro Đonović,Radislav Vujović and Vukašin Đurović. They talkedabout their request for examining the privatisationprocedure of the company Electrical Industry “Obod”JSC Cetinje.

• Within the project “Democracy Workshops”, thestudents of the eighth and ninth grade of the PrimarySchool “Bernard Bolzano” from Tabor, CzechRepublic and the Primary School “Milija Nikčević”from Nikšić attended a joint workshop on the topic“European Union”, focused on the EU founding andvalues, education and mobility. Within the workshop,the students visited the Parliament of Montenegro,toured the building of the Parliament, and wereinformed on the origin, organisation andprogrammes of the Parliament.

8 November

• President of the Parliament of Montenegro RankoKrivokapić met with Council of Europe SecretaryGeneral Thorbjørn Jagland. President Krivokapićinformed his interlocutor on the significance whichthe Parliament of Montenegro acquired to meetingCouncil of Europe standards, stressing the ten-yearlong cooperation with the Venice Commission,especially on the occasion of writing the Constitutionand adoption of the electoral law. PresidentKrivokapić stated that the Montenegrinparliamentary scene had been constantly maturing,

which is confirmed by the fact that there was aconsensus on some key issues among politicalparties in the Montenegrin Parliament, such as theprocess of European integration. PresidentKrivokapić also emphasised that the Parliamentstrived constantly to strengthen its capacities,strengthening its oversight role as well as increasingtransparency in work, all of which had beenrecognised in the last European CommissionProgress Report. Jagland considered the achieveddemocracy standards to be very important, voicingexpectance that those would be additionallyimproved through further support of the CE.

• President of the Parliament of Montenegro RankoKrivokapić and Secretary General of the Council ofEurope Thorbjørn Jagland visited “DemocracyWorkshops” of the Parliament of Montenegro, wherethey spoke with students of the class VI-c of thePrimary School “Štampar Makarije“ on the topic“Democracy and parliament”.The students had theopportunity to learn from the high officials whatcharacteristics an active and responsible citizen in ademocracy state should possess, what were hisrights and who protected them, as well as why theywere important for each individual. Additionally, thestudents spoke with the guests on the role of theParliament of Montenegro and its contribution todeveloping of human rights as well as the on waysthat the work of the Council of Europe in the field ofhuman rights influenced all of us.

• Vice President of the Parliament of MontenegroŽeljko Šturanović received Helen Studdert,Ambassador of Austria to Montenegro, for a farewellvisit. Vice President Šturanović expressed pleasureover the overall cooperation between the twocountries, thanking the Ambassador for her overallcontribution in the development of bilateral relationsbetween Montenegro and Austria during her missionto Montenegro.The interlocutors expressed mutualinterest for further deepening of relations betweenthe two states both at parliamentary and economiclevel and other fields as well.

• International Conference titled “Mediterranean CivilSociety and Women in Leadership”, organised jointlyby the Gender Equality Agency (Bosnia andHerzegovina), America - Bosnia Foundation (ABF)andCentre for Transatlantic Relations (SAIS), washeld on 8-10 November in Sarajevo. Nada Drobnjak,


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Chair of the Gender Equality Committee and IrenaBošković, Head of the Gender Equality Department inthe Ministry for Human and Minority Rightsrepresented Montenegro at the Conference.The aimof the Conference was to intensify the dialogue andcommunication among Mediterranean countries aswell as to initiate activities in the region, with specialreference to empowering of women and achievinggender equality and strengthening civil society rolein these processes.

• At their 32nd meeting, the Working Group for BuildingTrust in the Election Process formulated the DraftLaw on Amendments to the Law on Election ofCouncillors and MPs, with some of the articles ofDraft law being conditionally accepted.

10 November

• Upon the invitation by Daniel Mondekar, Chair of theCommittee on European Affairs of the Parliament,Delegation of the Committee on European Integrationpayed an official visit to the Republic of Croatia on 10-12 November. The parliamentary delegationconsisted of :Slaven Radunović, Nada Drobnjak,Predrag Sekulić, Šefkija Murić, Srđa Popović, ZoranSrzentić, and Koča Pavlović. The significance offurther mutual assistance and joint appearance at themultilateral level was recognised at the meeting,through various activities at the forums, initiatives,and the international organisations to which bothcountries belonged.

12 November

• Chair of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedomsof the Parliament of Montenegro Halil Duković, metwith Acting Head of OSCE Mission to MontenegroWaldemar Figaj and his associates. During the meeting,

the participants discussed ways of furtheringcooperation between the Committee on Human Rightsand Freedoms and OSCE Mission to Montenegro, withthe accent being placed on the forthcoming regionalmeeting of parliamentary working bodies competentfor human and children rights and ombudsmen forchildren from regional countries , on the topic: “Rightsof the Child: Promotion of the Position of a Child Aimedat Protection from All Forms of Exploitation”.

13 November

• On the occasion of the Day of Parliamentarism inMontenegro and 200 years since the birth of Petar IIPetrović Njegoš, a Ceremonious Sitting of theParliament of Montenegro was held in Cetinje.

• Member of the Committee on International Relationsand Emigrants Vasilije Lalošević attended a “Regionalworkshop for MPs, on the topic: Climatic changes -influence on the Mediterranean region”, organised bythe “Circle of Mediterranean Parliamentarians forSustainable Development – COMPSUD”, which washeld on 13-15 November in Athens. The aim of theworkshop was to inform MPs on the current andforthcoming initiatives and programmes dealing withclimatic changes and varieties and their influence onthe Mediterranean region as well as their connectionwith programmes for water and environment.

14 November

• President of the Parliament of Montenegro RankoKrivokapić met with Prime Minister of the AlbanianGovernment Edi Rama. It was jointly assessed thatMontenegro and Albania nurtured friendlyinternational relations. Krivokapić and Rama statedthat cooperation between Montenegro and Albaniahad actual results in a number of fields, and that itwas necessary to develop and upgrade it in thefollowing period.


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• Members of the Committee on European Integrationmetwith Charles Tannock, member of the ForeignAffairs Committee of the European Parliament andrapporteur of the European Parliament forMontenegro, in order to exchange impressions oncurrent issues regarding European integrationprocess of Montenegro, particularly in the part of pre-accession negotiations.

• Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare andTrade Union of the Parliament of Montenegroorganised an action of blood sugar control for MPsand parliamentary staff.

15 November

• As a member of the Working Group, Miodrag Vuković,Chair of the Committee on International Relations andEmigrants, participated in the eleventh meeting of theWorking Group on South East Europe CooperationProcess “SEECP PD”, which was held on 15 and 16November in Bucharest. During the meeting, MPs andnational coordinators from eleven parliaments of theSEECP member states, considered the Draft of theRules of Procedure of the South East EuropeCooperation Process Parliamentary Assembly.

18 November

• The Committee on European Integration is holding aseries of public debates, starting with Herceg Novi, inorder to inform high-school students from allMontenegrin municipalities on the Europeanintegration process and the role of the Parliament ofMontenegro in that process.The public debate held inthe Public Institution Combined High School “IvanGoran Kovačić” in Herceg Novi was attended by therepresentatives of the Children’s Parliament and thestudents taking the subject European integration.

• U The Conference on Relations between the StateAudit Institutions and the Parliaments of theCandidate and Potential Candidate Countries for theEU Membership was held on 18-19 November inBudva. On behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro,the following participated in the Conference:Aleksandar Damjanović, Chair of the Committee onEconomy, Finance and Budget, and Zoran Vukčević,member of the Committee. The two-day Conferencecovered topics relating to the following: the role andresponsibilities of the parliaments, audit institutions

and executive powers in the responsibility system;cooperation in the countries of the Network ofSupreme Audit Institutions of Candidate and PotentialCandidate Countries and the European Court ofAuditors; practice in the EU states (Portugal,Lithuania, Croatia, Poland, the Netherlands, and Italy),as well as future activities in the field of enhancingcooperation.

20 November

• President of the Parliament of Montenegro andPresident of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly RankoKrivokapić paid a visit to the United States of America.On the first day of the visit, President Krivokapić metSenator John McCain, and also with Chairman of theU.S. Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary AssemblyCongressman Michael Turner and Chair of theSubcommittee on European Affairs of the U.S. SenateChristopher Murphy. On the second day of the visit,Krivokapić met with Congressmen Eliot Engel, DougLamborn and Mike Michaud. During his visit to theUSA, Krivokapić met with Nancy Pelosi, theDemocratic Leader of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives.

• Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro BrankoRadulović opened the photography exhibition of theprevious four sessions of the Children’s Parliament.TheParliament of Montenegro organised the exhibition ofphotographs in cooperation with the Child RightsCentre and Save the Children in the North West Balkans,on the occasion of 20 November - the Day of theadoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of theChild.

22 November

• Secretary General of the Parliament of MontenegroDamir Davidović met with Secretary General of theNational Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Jana


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Ljubičić. While emphasising the importance ofpermanent professional development ofparliamentary administration, the interlocutorsagreed that there was mutual interest of twoparliaments’ services for further development ofcooperation.The visit of the Secretary GeneralLjubičić and her associates was organised with thesupport of National Democratic Institute fromBelgrade.

Davidović informed Jana Ljubičić on changes andinnovations in the work of the Parliament ofMontenegro, introduced over the past few years,especially in the part, referring to the strengtheningof professional help to MPs through drawing up ofinformative reviews, analysis of harmonisedregulations, development of research sector andstrengthening of the overall administrative capacities.In addition, Davidović presented the recently adoptedRulebook on Organisation and Systematisation of theParliamentary Service along with secondarylegislation, resulting from the previous evolutionarydevelopment of human resources.

24 November

• Chair of the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture,Ecology and Spatial Planning Predrag Sekulićattended the Meeting of Chairs of the Committees onEnvironment Protection and the Committees on StateAdministration and Local Authorities of the EuropeanUnion and the European Parliament member states,held on 24 and 25 November in Vilnius. The maintopic of the meeting was the protection of theenvironment in macro-economic strategies.

• VIII Meeting of the European IntegrationParliamentary Committees of States participating inthe Stabilisation and Association Process of the SouthEast Europe, was held on 24-25 November in Skopje.On behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro, Srđa

Popović, a member of the Committee on EuropeanIntegration, participated in the COSAP meeting.During the mmeting, the participants emphasised theimportance of the role of the Parliament with regardto using the IPA funds.Apart from that, the topics inthe COSAP meeting included visa liberalisation, andthe functioning of the Central European Free TradeAgreement (CEFTA).

25 November

• Chair of the Security and Defence CommitteeMevludin Nuhodžićand its members:BorislavBanović, Vasilije Lalošević and Goran Danilovićparticipated in a conference, on the topic “StrategicCommunication of Euro-Atlantic Integration Process",organised by the Center for Democratic Transition(CDT) in Podgorica. During the panel “Role of theParliament and Political Parties in Communication ofEuro-Atlantic Integration Process”, various aspects ofMontenegrin membership to NATO were discussed,with special reference to informing of citizens onimplications of Euro-Atlantic integration process andeffects of full-fledged membership to NATO Allianceas well as the role of the Parliament and politicalparties in that field.

• Delegation of the Committee on Economy, Financeand Budget participated in a two-day parliamentaryseminar on the topic: “Economic crisis and itsinfluence on the policies of the European Union andcountries in the accession process”, which was heldon 25 and 26 November in Brussels. During theseminar, the following topics were discussed: theinfluence of the crisis and global dimension of EU,new oversight mechanisms and coordination ofeconomy policies, strengthening of the role ofEuropean institutions, new strategies for improvingemployment growth, involvement in the competitiveprocess, establishmentof the Banking Union andwaysof solving the problem of public debt and deficitas well as the role of civil sector in finding ways toovercome the crisis.


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26 November

• Delegation of the Committee on EuropeanIntegration paid an official visit to the UnitedKingdom, in the time period of 26-27 November.During this visit, the Delegation had severalmeetings with members of the Committee onEuropean Union Affairs of the House of Lords andHouse of Commons of the Parliament as well as withrepresentatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairsand Commonwealth. The Delegation consisted of thefollowing: Chair of the Committee Slaven Radunović,Deputy Chair of the Committee Jovan Martinovićand members Šefkija Murić, Dritan Abazović, KočaPavlović and Zoran Srzentić.

27 November

• Chair of the Gender Equality Committee NadaDrobnjak spoke on a two-day conference, on thetopic: “Implementation of EU criteria in the genderequality field”, held in Podgorica. The Chair of theCommittee addressed the participants within thepanel “Reaction on the Report of MEP MarijeCornelissen and EU Progress Report”.TheConference was also attended by Committeemembers Ljiljana Đurašković and Branka Bošnjak.

• Within the parliamentary activities of the semi-annual Lithuanian presidency over the Council ofthe EU, Delegation of the Committee onInternational Relations and Emigrants of theParliament of Montenegro, participated in theMeeting of the Chairs of the Committees on ForeignAffairs of the National Parliaments of the EU, heldon 27-28 November in Vilnius. In addition, theParliamentary Forum for Democracy was held. TheDelegation consistedof: Chair of the CommitteeMiodrag Vuković, and the members of theCommittee Žana Filipović and Goran Danilović.

28 November

• Chair of the Security and Defence Committee and itsmembers met with Head of Western BalkansDivision at the European External Action ServiceJonas Jonsson. During the meeting, the emphasiswas placed on the importance of the role of theParliament, as the lead institution in creating theadequate legislative framework as well as on itsaccountability in effective and successfulimplementation of the parliamentary oversight.

29 November

• Secretary General of the Parliament of MontenegroDamir Davidović received Lia Magnaguagno, Headof the Sector for Democratisation in the OSCEMission to Montenegro. The interlocutors, inter alia,spoke on possibilities of further cooperationbetween the Parliament of Montenegro and theOSCE Mission.

• Employees of the Committee on Economy, Financeand Budget and the Committee on EuropeanIntegration attended a two-day training, which wasdedicated to the mechanisms of parliamentarycontrol of IPA funds.During the training, theemphasis was placed on objectives and structure ofIPA programmes including coordinationmechanisms between the government andparliamentary service in monitoring the use of IPAfunds.

• Members of the Committee on Economy, Financeand Budget held a meeting with Director of theEnergy Community Secretariat Janez Kopač, duringwhich Kopač presented the Annual Report onimplementation of Energy Community Strategy. Inaddition to the members of the Committee and theDirector of the Energy Community Secretariat, themeeting was also attended by Chair of theCommittee of the Energy Regulatory AgencyBranislav Prelević.

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