Interview of Head of Mission Dominique Waag to MINA agency
What results would you highlight as the most significant that you achieved in the previous year, and what are your plans and goals for the next period?
The OSCE Mission mainly supports Montenegrin public administration and institutions in their reform efforts, in line with OSCE principles. Over the years, we’ve built strong partnerships for tailor made, often regional, cooperation. In all policies, we promote gender equality.
Among our most significant achievements, I’d like first to mention a series of results in the security sector, such as the development of a victim-centred approach in fighting human trafficking, that has now been incorporated into the Criminal Code. We trained police, social services, and prosecutors on interviewing child victims of exploitation, including online sexual abuse. Also, thanks to the international accreditation of the Ballistics Laboratories of Forensic Centre that we have supported, evidence examined can now be presented in trials not only in Montenegro, but also in the region.
2023 was a significant year since administering two elections across the country were key tests for election management bodies. We worked alongside the State Election Commission to ensure the 2023 elections were transparent and inclusive. Our support to election management bodies contributed significantly to the positive findings set out in the OSCE/ ODIHR election observation missionreport..
To help prevent violence against women and girls is another core goals of the Mission. In 2023, we conducted an awareness campaign targeted at young men, with the support of the Football Association of Montenegro and footballers Stevan Jovetić and Stefan Savić. The social media posts have had outreach to almost every segment of society, with over half a million views. Our objective is to break the circle of silence around this type of violence. It will need a united front of both men and women to bring a safer, more equitable future for every woman and girl.
For this year, Malta’s Chairpersonship of the OSCE defined among its main priorities, freedom of the media and journalists' safety, youth and reconciliation, anti-corruption, and security in relation to climate change. The Mission will work more on tackling environmental crime, supporting youth engagement including in the economic sector and at municipal level, and helping Montenegro enhance its mechanism for fostering safety of journalists. Gender equality also remains a priority and we will continue to work closely with Parliament and the public administration to ensure that legislation, policies and budgets benefit equally to women and men.
I’m in particular grateful for the trust placed in us. Last year, the Protector of Human Rights Office chose the Mission as a partner to mark the 20th anniversary of this institution.
In your opinion, what are the key problems in Montenegro?
Montenegro is strengthening its democratic institutions, and making each year progress in transparency and accountability. During these last years, the existence of gaps and loopholes in the legal framework has been observed on several occasions. This has been the case for instance during municipal and then national elections, and to take only the most blatant example we can recall what happened in Savnik. I’m confident that with a continuous political engagement in Parliament, where both majority and opposition play a constructive role, these issues which are now well identified will progressively find a solution.
Another issue is that, like many other countries around the world, Montenegro is struggling to put an end to the influence of organized crime. This is why the Mission is prioritising regional police co-operation and intelligence-led policing model. I am proud to say that with the software we’ve provided, and the related training, the criminal-intelligence unit of the Police Directorate was able to identify routes used for the smuggling of illicit drugs and weapons and solve some of the most serious cases. We have also strengthened the technical capacities of the Cybercrime and Criminal Intelligence Unit in data analysis, and the Police Directorate acknowledged the Mission's support following an international joint operation in 2023 against child sexual exploitation in the Balkan region.
We could often hear that the fight against organized crime requires strong institutions and political will. Do you think that there is political will in Montenegro and do we have strong institutions? How should they be strengthened?
The nominations made to fully constitute the Constitutional Court and Judicial Council, as well as the election of the Supreme State Prosecutor were very significant steps. The political resolve must continue to ensure fully independent and adequately resourced judicial institutions. Through the OSCE regional trial monitoring project, we are monitoring 59 high-level organized crime and corruption court cases in Montenegro, and we are helping authorities in identifying systemic weaknesses. I am grateful to our partners in the judicial system for their openness and insights. This has led to the formulation of targeted policy recommendations to help strengthen the judicial system, in a consultative manner. Progress will now depend on all judicial actors.
According to some assessments, in the previous period a lot was done to strengthen the rule of law, as the Supreme State Prosecutor was appointed, the Constitutional Court was completed, members of the Judicial Council appointed. What remains is the appointment of the members of the Council of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption... Do you believe that panding procedures will also be successfully concluded?
These appointments are crucial for Montenegro to realize its national strategic goals. They are the beginning of a process, as these newly nominated authorities will have to make sure that the criminal justice system becomes efficient. When we commission public opinion polls in order to measure the perception of progress made, for instance in the police, a large majority of Montenegrin citizens continue to say that organized crime pose a threat to their safety as citizens, or that corruption remains a significant issue. I’m confident that everyone in Parliament is aware of the importance to elect independent and skilled personalities to fill in all these positions.
An Intergovernmental Conference between Montenegro and the EU was recently held in Brussels, from which a message was sent that it is time to continue reforms, in order to take advantage of the right moment for the EU path. What are your expectations from the administration when it comes to European integration? Is it realistic for Montenegro to become a member of the Union by 2028, according to the president of the country?
The Mission provides assistance to Montenegro to institute reforms in line with the OSCE’s commitments and principles adopted by our 57 participating States. This is the mandate given to us. Police reform, gender equality, youth empowerment, media – these are some of the areas in which Montenegro co-operates with the Mission, but also with other organizations. The way the Mission will support Montenegro in the coming years is closely discussed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The country is in a position to wisely use all the offered support and to have it well allocated in order to accelerate reforms and fulfil its strategic national objectives. A merit-based approach to recruitments in the public administration will also help to be efficient in working on the reforms announced. Mission’s role will be to mobilize experts, very often from the region, to bring capacity building to support institutional reform and the definition of strategies.
The Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform has been formed in Parliament. Is it finally time to start electoral reform? Can Montenegro wait for the next election cycle in the current conditions?
It is a longstanding recommendation of OSCE/ODIHR to initiate and deliver a comprehensive electoral reform. With our support, Montenegro has already ensured a greater transparency, effectiveness and accountability of those who administer elections. But a major and comprehensive electoral reform is still needed, several laws need to be amended and a precise prioritization of its work is needed by the Committee. The time is right for Parliament to commit to a significant change, remove any ambiguities, and modernise electoral legislation. Greater representation of women MPs is also expected. The whole process will need much resolve and efforts and there is no good reason to wait.
We have heard some announcements at the very beginning that the opposition would withdraw from the Committee if some of their demands were not met. What are your expectations regarding the work of this body? Is there a fear that it will happen as in the previous Committee, which was practically non-functional? Is the OSCE ready, and in what way, to help the Committee in the electoral reform process?
It is expected that the committee will work together, in a constructive manner, to deliver a change that will further legal certainty. Electoral reform is a process that must be inclusive, to enable all interested parties to participate in. The two heads of last year’s ODIHR observation missions, Ms Nina Suomalainen and Mr Tamas Meszerics recently came to Montenegro. After their meetings, they had expressed optimism that the parliamentary Committee will progress in proposing amendments and ensure that all gaps and ambiguities in electoral legislation will be addressed. It is now time to give also much space to NGOs in this committee. ODIHR is ready to support the committee, as is the Mission.