Milatović’s Office: It is only a matter of time before the Agreement with the UAE is struck down by the Constitutional Court

It is only a matter of time before the Agreement with the United Arab Emirates is struck down by the Constitutional Court - the Office of the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, announced after yesterday’s session of the Constitutional Court failed to reach a majority on the reporting judge’s proposal to initiate proceedings to assess the constitutionality of the agreement.

As a reminder, three judges voted in favor of the reporting judge’s proposal to initiate a constitutional review of the Law on the Ratification of the Agreement with the Emirates, while three voted against it.

The Government assessed that such a position of the Constitutional Court showed that the interstate agreement is in line with the Constitution.

However, Milatović’s Office stated that, although the Constitutional Court did not make a decision yesterday, the judges’ vote significantly confirmed the shortcomings of the agreement that they had pointed out from the very beginning.

- Precisely because of numerous constitutional and legal doubts, the President returned the agreement to Parliament for reconsideration, which were later confirmed by prominent professors and experts during a public hearing organized by the Constitutional Court on this issue - the statement said.

They believe that Montenegro would not have found itself in this situation if the Constitutional Court had been fully composed.

- The real reason for its incomplete composition was evident yesterday in this very case. Unfortunately, as has happened many times before, the authorities placed personal and party interests above the public interest. However, even with a reduced panel of six judges, it is clear that three judges of the current Constitutional Court believe that the agreement is not in line with the Constitution. This means that if at least one of the two proposed judges shared such a legal view, the Agreement would be overturned by the Constitutional Court - Milatović’s Office stated.

They add that the Government of Montenegro is well aware of this fact.

- Despite this, it continues to mislead both the domestic public and our UAE partners. You can fool some people all the time, and all people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time - they said.

They also reminded that in December 2025, the Parliament of Montenegro unconstitutionally extended the mandate of one judge.

- Yesterday’s vote further clarified the reasons behind such a decision. At the same time, the same parliamentary majority has been refusing for almost a year to appoint judges proposed by the President, thereby directly undermining the functionality of the Constitutional Court - the statement said.

They assess that the agreement has been burdened with serious legal and institutional concerns from the very beginning.

- Instead of clear answers, the public has for months been hearing propaganda about an alleged „historic deal“. This is not a model of a responsible state. This is the old and corrupt Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) model of non-transparent agreements behind closed doors and the sell-off of state property - the Office of Milatović stated.

They add that the citizens of Montenegro do not want a state of shortcuts and political bargaining, regardless of who carries them out, whether it is the former or the current government.

- Therefore, we clearly state: there is no agreement, no investor, and no political deal that can be above the Constitution of Montenegro and the interests of our citizens - the Office of the President of Montenegro concluded.