Podgorica, (MINA - BUSINESS) – The Government said that the Constitutional Court’s decision not to initiate proceedings to assess the constitutionality of the agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an institutional confirmation that the Government protected its interests through the document and did not guarantee a privileged position to any country or individual.

According to a press release from the Government’s Public Relations Service, the Constitutional Court’s position regarding the initiatives to initiate a constitutional review of the Law ratifying the Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism and Real Estate Development with the UAE means that the legal order remains unchanged, and that the intergovernmental agreement is in line with the Constitution.

“In addition to a clear political position and the idea of sustainable investments that would further position Montenegro on the global tourism map, we have also received institutional confirmation that the Montenegrin Government protected its interests with this document and did not guarantee a privileged position to any country or individual, as could be heard in numerous public statements by certain political groups,” the press release reads.

The Government believes that such a decision of the Constitutional Court confirms the principle of legal certainty, according to which existing legal acts, including the agreement under consideration, are deemed constitutional until the competent authority determines otherwise.

“Given that the initiatives did not result in a legal outcome, the intergovernmental agreement retains the presumption of constitutionality, which accompanies all valid legal acts within the state’s legal order,” the press release said.

The Government said that the intergovernmental agreement remains an integral part of the legal system, since the Constitutional Court did not find that the agreement was inconsistent with the Constitution.

“This confirms the continuity of its validity, as well as the stability of the legal order with regard to the obligations arising from it,” the press release reads.

The Government said this is particularly important given that Montenegro has already signed similar intergovernmental agreements, such as the North Atlantic Treaty under which Montenegro became a member of NATO, as well as agreements concluded with France and Hungary, and one expected to be signed with the United States.