The delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro participated in the Summer Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which was held from June 22 to 26, 2026 in Strasbourg. The delegation consisted of: head Nađa Laković, members Dragan Bojović and Aleksandra Vuković-Kuč and deputy members Edina Dešić and Miloš Konatar, the Assembly announced.
As stated in the announcement, at a special ceremony held during the session, the Parliamentary Assembly presented European diplomas for the year 2026 to municipalities that stand out for their commitment to European values and international cooperation. For the first time, this prestigious award was presented to Montenegrin municipalities: Berane, Bijela Polje, Petnjica and Podgorica.
The President of PSSE, Petra Bajer, in her opening address, emphasized the key role of this institution in preserving democracy, human rights and the rule of law in a period of numerous political and security challenges in Europe.
“She particularly emphasized continued support for Ukraine, the importance of establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, as well as the need to preserve the independence of the European Court of Human Rights and the judicial profession. She also pointed to the importance of strengthening democratic institutions, gender equality, environmental protection, and improving mechanisms to protect electoral processes from disinformation and hybrid threats. She concluded by emphasizing that the resilience of European institutions rests on unity, responsibility and consistent protection of the fundamental values of the Council of Europe,” it is stated in announcement.
The agenda of the meeting included, as they say, items devoted to: the functioning of democratic institutions in Serbia and Georgia; the functioning of the judicial system and dealing with the opposition in Turkey; democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Iran, as well as the silencing of critical voices in Azerbaijan.
“Deputies also discussed the topics of protecting democracy from the negative influence of artificial intelligence, opposing transnational repression, suppressing gender stereotypes in the media, and media freedom in sports,” the announcement reads.
They add that it was held and debated on the topic of migrants’ and refugees’ access to health care, in connection with which the Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution prepared by the member of the Turkish Parliament, Pelin Jilik, after her visit to Montenegro in March of this year.
“The recently held elections in Hungary and Bulgaria, which were monitored by PSSE observation missions, were also discussed, and an urgent discussion was held on the topic of women’s access to justice,” said the Parliament of Montenegro.
The Prime Minister of the Principality of Monaco, Christophe Mirmand, addressed the parliamentary assembly, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Principality of Monaco, Isabelle Bero-Amadei, presented the activities of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in the capacity of chairing the Committee.
“The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alan Berse, answered the questions of the MPs regarding the provision of stronger protection of social rights, the improvement of cooperation with other multilateral organizations, primarily with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as the political situation in Georgia, Hungary, Serbia and Turkey,” the announcement states.
The Vigdís Award for Women’s Empowerment for 2026 was also awarded to the “My Voice, My Choice” movement, which originated in Slovenia and brings together more than 300 organizations from the member states of the European Union with the aim of improving safe and accessible access to abortion.
“The Parliamentary Assembly elected a new deputy secretary general of the Council of Europe – the Benelux candidate Tanja Gongrijp, the former head of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe”, the Assembly states.
At the session of the Subcommittee for the Western Balkans, they add, a hearing was held with Valentina Superta, Director for the Western Balkans in the General Directorate for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, who welcomed Montenegro’s strong commitment to the process of accession to the European Union, and assessed the progress of our country so far as exceptional.
