EU Parliament Raps Serbia, Montenegro on Media Freedom

The European Parliament, joined by the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, on Tuesday debated reform efforts made by Montenegro last year as a candidate country for EU membership.

The resolution called on Montenegro to tackle corruption and organised crime, as well as improve media freedom.

The Parliament voiced concern about the state of media freedom and the weak professional and ethical standards among the media in Montenegro. It deplored the fact that attacks on journalists and on media property have continued.

Slovenian MEP Milan Zver underlined the need for Montenegro to address the issue of media freedom, noting that the country was ranked in 114th place out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index.

The resolution also called on Montenegro to solve its border disputes with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

At the same time, it commended Montenegro for aligning itself fully with the EU's position on Ukraine.

Commissioner Hahn said the executive had made it clear to Montenegro, an EU candidate country since 2010, which started accession negotiations in 2012,  that it must begin implementing, and not simply passing, changes to bring its laws into line with the EU's acquis.

"It's time to shift from processes and procedures to changes on the ground," he added.

While progress in accession negotiations will be determined by steps to ensure the rule of law, Hahn also signaled the need for economic reforms to bring the country in line with the EU economy.

British MEP Charles Tannock - a member of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and author of the resolution to be put to a vote on Wednesday - said that although Montenegro required reform in a...