Centre for Civic Education (CCE) once again warns about the concerning practice of the 44th Government of Montenegro, which makes the majority of its decisions through electronic sessions, thereby undermining democratic standards and public trust in institutions.
According to CCE’s data, the Government led by Milojko Spajić held a total of 230 sessions from its formation on 31 October 2023 until 20 September 2025, of which as many as 139, or 60%, were conducted electronically/by phone.
In addition to the constitutive session, 87 regular and three thematic sessions were held.
The first thematic session addressed a set of draft laws that were among the key prerequisites for obtaining the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR); the second concerned an oral briefing on the activities carried out in the concession process for the use of Podgorica and Tivat airports; and the third discussed the Basis for Negotiations and Conclusion of the Cooperation Agreement on Infrastructure Development between the Government of Montenegro and the Government of Hungary, along with the text of the Agreement. However, thematic sessions have been missing on numerous issues of vital public interest, further exposing the selectivity and irresponsibility in the work of the Government.
During phone sessions, decisions are often made through “likes” in messaging apps, even on matters that deeply affect the institutional order and functioning of the state. Instead of open debate, reasoned dialogue, and public accountability, decisions are made through non-transparent procedures, without written or audio records. Such practices are typical of emergency situations, not of regular democratic processes.
The CCE considers this approach unserious, dangerous, and harmful in the long term, as it relativizes institutions, erodes public trust, and confirms the lack of political will to establish standards of transparency and accountability. Electronic sessions, which the CCE has continuously warned about, can only be justified as exceptions and solely when the protection of the vital interests of citizens and the state is at stake. Their routine use undermines the work of the Government and democracy as a whole.
Therefore, the CCE once again calls on the Government to put an end to this harmful practice and return to democratic and transparent decision-making processes – through regular sessions open to the public, held in the designated chamber, with mandatory written and audio records, as well as the reinstatement of live session broadcasts. Only in this way can the public’s right to know be safeguarded, officeholders held accountable, and respect for the principles of good governance reaffirmed.