Fajon urges appointment of Constitutional Court judges in Montenegro

The appointments are "essential to ensuring respect for citizens' fundamental rights and the stability of institutions", the minister tweeted after meeting Montenegro's President Milo Đukanović, parliamentary Speaker Danijela Đurović and Prime Minister Dritan Abazović.

Following her joint visit to Montenegro with her Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in December 2022, today's working visit was the second in her capacity as foreign minister and served as an opportunity to get acquainted with Montenegro's progress in tackling the current political crisis.

"Montenegro is the most advanced candidate in the EU membership negotiations. I do not want this to change. I hope that with this in mind, the political actors in Montenegro will resolve the political crisis ASAP and speed up the reform processes," Fajon said.

After the talks, Abazović tweeted that he and Fajon agreed that the appointment of the judges was key for the continuation of democratic processes and Montenegro's European prospects. They both consider that all Montenegrin politicians should focus on this issue.

"We all expect that at the end of January or the beginning of February we will have a session to vote on Constitutional Court judges," Abazović told a press conference after the meeting, the Montenegrin press agency Mina reported.

Đukanović said on Twitter Montenegro appreciated Slovenia's efforts devoted to the country's and the region's EU accession processes, noting that it was essential to end Montenegro's delays in this respect.

Last December, visiting Montenegro on behalf of the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Fajon and Schallenberg warned that the EU might consider suspending accession talks with Montenegro unless the country sets up functional institutions.

Fajon reiterated these expectations today, Mina reported, as she urged Montenegro to show results, complete the process of appointing Constitutional Court judges and provide conditions for the smooth functioning of institutions and elections.

She highlighted that the EU's support for Montenegro remained strong.

Montenegro made the most progress in EU accession efforts among all Western Balkan countries, but in the last two years this process has been delayed.

Fajon's visit to Montenegro is a second stop on her Western Balkan tour, following her visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. She will end the tour with her first official visit to Kosovo on Monday.