The Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism (ECM) enables the provision of legislative expertise and policy advice in the areas covered by the Horizontal Facility programme, as well as on constitutional issues falling within the mandate of the European Commission for Democracy through Law, known as the Venice Commission.

In this context, and upon the request from the Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, the Venice Commission adopted the Opinion on the draft Law on the Government of Montenegro, during its 136^th plenary session held on 6 – 7 October 2023.

In the Opinion, the Venice Commission finds that the provisions of the draft Law do not appear to be incompatible with international standards. However, the Venice Commission identifies several parts of the draft Law that need to be further revised to ensure that the supremacy of the Constitution is upheld and internationally recognised rule of law principles (the principle of legality and principle of separation of powers) are respected.

The Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism is a part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, implemented by the Council of Europe.