The European Parliament on Tuesday expressed its deep disappointment with Montenegro's failure to appoint judges of the Constitutional Court and with the adoption of a law that reduced the powers of the president of state.

The EP warns that this undermines Montenegro’s journey to the EU, according to the office of Tonino Picula, the EP’s permanent rapporteur for Montenegro.

On Monday, Montenegro’s parliament adopted a law on scaling down the powers of President Milo Djukanovic, which sparked clashes between Opposition supporters and the police in front of parliament.

The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, recommended last Friday that the law should not be changed, and EU and US diplomats shared the same position.

“We hereby express our deep disappointment with the unsuccessful attempt to appoint judges of the Constitutional Court and the adoption of the Law on Amendments to the Law on the President of Montenegro. We are disappointed that the urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on this was not taken into account during the vote”, said Picula.

Earlier on Monday, the deputies did not elect the judges of the Constitutional Court, so the highest court in Montenegro is blocked and cannot make decisions on the constitutionality of the disputed law on the President of Montenegro.