Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

Montenegro has taken further steps to implement its  Victims’ Rights Strategy and Action Plan, establishing a Council to monitor progress across key institutions involved in the protection of victims’ rights.

The first coordination meeting of the Council, chaired by the Ministry of Justice on 16 March 2026, reviewed achievements in implementing the planned activities and discussed the main challenges in strengthening a victim-centred approach within the justice system.

Participants highlighted several key achievements over the past year, including but not limited to the adoption of the Guidelines on the victims right to compensation, efforts to harmonise penal policies related to gender-based violence and the specialisation of lawyers to provide free legal aid to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

Looking ahead, the revision of relevant criminal legislation and its full alignment with the EU Directives and standards of the Council of Europe, remains a priority, alongside measures aimed at ensuring its effective implementation in practice.

The effective implementation of the Strategy ensures that Montenegro continues aligning its legal and institutional framework with international standards on victims’ rights, as well as with the recommendations of international monitoring bodies. In doing so, Montenegro reaffirms its commitment to strengthening procedural guarantees for victims and advancing best practices in the protection and support of victims of crime.

The implementation of the certain aspects of the Victims Rights Strategy and Action Plan is supported through the action “Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims’ rights in Montenegro,”, part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.