EU Accepts Backstage Role in Montenegro Talks

The speaker of Montenegro's parliament, Ranko Krivokapic, is in Brussels on Monday to meet Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn ahead of crisis talks on new elections in the country, due to begin on Tuesday.

The Montenegrin opposition has been boycotting parliament for months after the ruling parties refused to implement new electoral legislation.

The crisis has deepened since anti-government protests turned violent in October, when police fired tear gas to disband protesters and dozens of people were injured.

Some in the opposition have urged the EU to engage directly in negotiations, as it did in the crisis talks in Macedonia, but Brussels has so far rejected calls to participate directly in negotiations on a new electoral law and on the formation of a transitional government in Montenegro.

The opposition parties, the Democrats, the Civic Movement URA and DEMOS, in October called on European institutions to moderate crisis talks on organizing new elections.

But the EU said that negotiations between the ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, and the opposition should stay within the country's parliament.

"Any solution to the current political situation must come from Montenegro, and political dialogue and discussion should be held in the parliament," the European Commission spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, said.

However, BIRN has learned that Brussels will be involved to some degree in negotiations on implementing new laws designed to address irregularities in voter lists and abuses in the use of budget funds for party purposes during elections.

"'Brussels will offer a 'technical assistance', so it will still participate in the process but not as a direct actor," a senior...