By The European Commission (EC) has assessed that the effective implementation of Montenegro’s new laws on audiovisual media services and the national public broadcaster is being slowed down by delays in the transparent and merit-based appointment of members to the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU) and the Council of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG).
According to Vijesti, the EC emphasizes the urgent need for the Parliament of Montenegro to appoint new members to the AVMU Council to ensure its full functioning and independence.
“In addition, the Parliament must immediately initiate the procedure for selecting three members of the RTCG Council,” states the latest informal EC non-paper assessing Montenegro’s progress in Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), as seen by Vijesti.
Non-paper: Montenegro Needs Stronger Reform Efforts and Political Commitment
The EC recalls that although the appointment of the RTCG Director General was previously challenged in several court decisions, in August 2024 the RTCG Council reappointed the same individual (Boris Raonić) to a full term, “raising concerns about a lack of transparency and possible violations of legal procedure.”
In November 2024, the prosecution filed charges against RTCG Council members for abuse of office in relation to that appointment.
“Given the significance of RTCG as a public broadcaster and the legality of its operations, it is crucial that this case is swiftly resolved in court,” the EC stated.
The Commission also notes that a detailed analysis will be required to align Montenegro’s media legislation with the European Media Freedom Act, which is set to largely come into force on 8 August 2025.
Journalists’ Salaries Below National Average, Sectoral Agreement Still Not Signed
The EC points out that the financial sustainability of commercial media remains limited due to a relatively small audience and a narrow advertising market. Legal provisions on the transparency of public funding for the media are still not fully implemented.
“In 2023, only 56% of registered media outlets and 64% of public institutions fulfilled their legal obligation to publish data on received and allocated public funds for media. Following the adoption of new media laws, a number of influential online outlets still do not disclose ownership information, despite legal requirements,” the non-paper states.
The new 2024 Media Law introduced a significant increase in state funding for content of public interest in electronic, print, and online media, raising the Media Pluralism and Diversity Fund from 0.09% to 0.2% of the current state budget.
However, the EC notes that a sectoral collective agreement still hasn’t been signed, “hindering the exercise of labor rights for media workers on equal footing with employees in other sectors.”
“Journalists’ salaries remain below the national average,” it adds.
Protection of Journalists
Regarding the safety of journalists, the EC states that authorities continue to provide generally timely and effective institutional and police responses to new cases of violence.
In 2024, the prosecution handled 14 such cases, issuing indictments in two and launching misdemeanor proceedings in three. Police recorded 16 cases of violence against media actors, seven of which were classified as criminal offenses by the prosecution.
Most of these cases involved harassment and online threats, and three journalists remain under police protection.
The non-paper also highlights verbal attacks and harassment of the media by public officials and political parties.
Few Corruption Convictions Feed Perception of Impunity
In the area of anti-corruption, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) has further increased its capacity, and the trend of conducting investigations and filing indictments in high-level corruption cases has continued to grow positively since 2022.
However, the EC warns of a low number of final convictions and a lack of effective and dissuasive sanctions, which “contributes to a perception of impunity.”
The efficiency of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) is said to be improving, despite disruptions caused by expired leadership mandates and limited resources. Still, further efforts are needed to improve its quality, capacity, efficiency, and outcomes.
The EC emphasizes that Montenegro must effectively implement the legal framework for corruption prevention, revised in 2024.
Following the adoption of the new Law on the Prevention of Corruption in 2024, Montenegro adopted eight by-laws in early 2025, the non-paper notes.
“Nevertheless, the law needs further improvement and alignment with EU standards. The Ministry of Justice is preparing a draft of the amendments,” it says.
Delayed Amendments to Political Party Financing Law
The EC also highlights that the legal framework governing political party financing remains burdened with issues of scope, clarity, and enforcement.
“The Law on Financing Political Entities and Election Campaigns has yet to be amended to fully align with European standards, despite Montenegro’s commitment to do so by the end of 2024. Notably, the current law does not comply with GRECO and ODIHR recommendations, which call for greater transparency, more effective oversight of party spending, and the prevention of misuse of state resources, including through dissuasive sanctions,” the document states.
It adds that the existing legal framework still fails to ensure effective safeguards against rule circumvention or appropriate sanctions for violations.
Furthermore, the EC warns that the Law on the Election of Councillors and MPs remains misaligned with the Law on Political Party Financing, further undermining proper oversight of election campaign funding.
Limited Progress on Anti-Torture Recommendations
The EC notes that Montenegro has made limited progress in implementing recommendations from the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT).
“Systemic shortcomings and delays persist in investigating and prosecuting cases of alleged violence by law enforcement officers, as well as in cases of prison violence,” the non-paper says.
It also points out that discrimination remains present in Montenegrin society, largely due to polarization.
The most vulnerable groups — including Roma and Egyptians, persons with disabilities, and LGBTIQ individuals — continue to face discrimination, hate speech, and hate crimes.
“Amendments to the Criminal Code criminalizing racism and hate speech have yet to produce adequate institutional and police responses. A new draft Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination is currently under consultation with the European Commission, aiming for full alignment with the EU acquis and European standards,” the EC notes.
It stresses that Montenegro still needs to address the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) from May 2024, particularly regarding the lack of sanctions for violations of the Gender Equality Law — the only legislation that imposes clear and legally binding requirements for integrating gender perspectives into all policy-making processes and conducting gender-sensitive analysis.
No Return to Economic Citizenship Programs
Finally, the EC underlines that Montenegro must refrain from reintroducing its investment citizenship scheme (so-called “golden passports”), due to the associated risks related to security, money laundering, tax evasion, terrorist financing, corruption, and infiltration by organized crime.
The EC reminds that Montenegro’s investment citizenship program expired on 31 December 2022. It also notes that on 29 April 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in case C-181/23 that the establishment and implementation of naturalization schemes granting EU citizenship in exchange for pre-determined financial payments or investments breaches EU law.
Moreover, Montenegro must ensure that EU legal standards concerning EU citizenship rights — particularly the right to free movement and residence within the EU — will be applicable upon accession.
Source: Vijesti
