The Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro concluded yesterday’s session by establishing the list of candidates for the Council of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG), including Marijana Camović-Veličković, Nikola Tatar, and Janko Ljumović.

A similar list for the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (SAMU) has also been finalized, featuring candidates Jelena Šušanj, Dragoljub Duško Vuković, and Niko Martinović.

DNP MP Jelena Kljajević, who leads the Administrative Committee Working Group responsible for reviewing candidacies, mentioned that Camović-Veličković was nominated by 29 human rights NGOs, although four did not provide complete documentation.

She confirmed that the candidacies of Tatar and Ljumović were timely and complete; Tatar was nominated by the Confederation of Trade Unions (SSCG), while Ljumović was put forward by Matica Crnogorska.

“Without intending to offend anyone or their work, some non-governmental organizations’ activities are entirely unknown, and some are only registered, which is unacceptable,” remarked Jelena Nedović, president of the Administrative Board, while reading the names of NGOs that supported Camović-Veličković.

Martinović’s candidacy, submitted by the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU), was also deemed timely and complete, as was Šušanj’s, proposed for SAMU by the Montenegrin PEN Center.

“Out of 13 NGOs in the media sector, nine submitted all necessary documentation on time, while four did not,” stated Kljajević.

Nedović mentioned that the lists will be published in the Official Gazette and on the Parliament of Montenegro’s website.

As per regulations, the parliament must appoint members to these two councils within 60 days of the Administrative Committee submitting the materials.

Both councils have been functioning in a diminished capacity for some time now, which was highlighted in June by the European Commission (EC) in an informal document (non-paper) concerning Montenegro’s advancements in chapters 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and 24 (justice, freedom, security).

The EC indicated that the effective implementation of the new laws on audiovisual media services and the national public broadcaster in Montenegro is being hampered by delays in the transparent and merit-based appointments of SAMU and RTCG Council members.

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