Koprivica: Removal of immunity and integrity checks in September on the Parliament's agenda

Therefore, facts must be clearly communicated to citizens, who are expecting full rule of law and European standards: The government has proposed integrating both anti-corruption instruments into the highest legal act of the state, including mandatory prior integrity checks of mandate holders and candidates for government members, as well as removing immunity for government members for criminal offenses against official duties. A debate will be scheduled on the constitutional solution for mandatory prior integrity checks, as stipulated by the Rules of Procedure, 30 days after being referred to parliamentary procedure, and it has already been referred on the 17th. Thus, this solution is not a compensation for immunity removal but an expression of the will to implement the strictest anti-corruption standards. Both measures, immunity removal and mandatory integrity checks, will be on the Parliament's agenda in September. Integrity checks represent an European standard and respond to recommendations from international institutions such as the Venice Commission, while immunity removal strengthens personal responsibility of executive officials and is also a response to GRECO's recommendations. The fact that multiple constitutional solutions have been proposed is not a sign of government indecisiveness but a measure of the outdated constitutional framework regarding the implementation of the highest European standards—standards that are recognized by all relevant international institutions evaluating our legal system. We do not wish to ignore these deficiencies but to reform them in the interest of citizens and the state. This is not a time for stubbornness, political vanity, or passivity, but for responsible work by all to achieve the historic goal of Montenegro's full EU membership.