Sattler: We expect Constitutional Court judges to be appointed before the summer recess

The European Union expects the Constitutional Court to be fully staffed by the beginning of the summer recess, meaning that Parliament should reach an agreement and adopt the necessary decisions, said the Head of the EU Delegation, Johann Sattler, in an interview with the Radio Television of Montenegro.

He assessed that there is room to close all negotiation chapters by the end of the year, warning that carrying this work into the election year of 2027 could slow down the process.

Sattler also emphasized that Montenegro is expected to deliver concrete results in the judiciary, particularly through final court rulings.

He pointed to positive progress reflected in reduced political influence over the judiciary and more appointments based on professional merit. He expects that three or four chapters could be closed before the summer recess, and that intergovernmental conferences will be held more frequently in the coming period in order to achieve the goal of closing all chapters by the end of the year.

- A lot has already been done, but we want to see more. Chapter 23 implies constitutional changes, which require a qualified majority in Parliament. We need to see appointments. There are members of the Judicial Council who must be elected by a qualified majority. It is also necessary to appoint judges of the Constitutional Court. So there are other parameters, benchmarks that we need to see, along with results in terms of rulings and further progress in that chain. I truly expect progress before the summer recess and that Parliament will reach agreement and adopt decisions - Sattler said.

When asked whether he believes Montenegro will close all chapters by the end of the year, and what the consequences would be if the process extends into 2027, Sattler noted that there are still eight months left until the end of the year.

- I think that is the key point. Also, from the side of the European Commission, we strongly support the ambition of this Government to complete the process by the end of the year. At the moment, we see a good pace. However, as we discussed earlier, there are some things that cannot be predicted, on both sides. So, let me put it this way - it is not a tragedy, it is not the end of the world if we move into the next year. What would change? You see, one thing that I believe will be different from next year is that you will enter an election cycle. And that, as you know, always has consequences for the work of Parliament and the overall political atmosphere -  Sattler concluded.