Montenegro Constitutional Court schedules September hearing on mandatory kindergarten vaccination

The Constitutional Court of Montenegro will hold a public hearing in September to assess the constitutionality of provisions in the Law on Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases that require children to be vaccinated in order to attend public or private preschools. The decision to hold the hearing was taken unanimously.

Three initiatives have been filed with the court by non‑governmental organisations – Parents Association and Alternative Montenegro – and by a petitioner from Nikšić. The initiators argue that the mandatory‑vaccination rule violates the Montenegrin Constitution and international treaties, limiting children’s right to preschool education, and they request a temporary suspension of the rule until the court decides.

Representatives of the Parliament, the Government, the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Public Health, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and independent experts in epidemiology, public health, child rights and pedagogy will also be invited. The court will request data on the number of vaccinated and unvaccinated children, enrollment impacts and other epidemiological indicators.