Gender mainstreaming has been an integral part of the Council of Europe's work to promote the full realisation of gender equality. It was reinforced with the launching of the Council of Europe's Transversal Programme on Gender Equality in 2012 and the adoption of its two consecutive Gender Equality Strategies, including the last one for the period 2018 - 2023. The European Union's commitment towards a gender-equal Europe is reflected in the EU Gender Equality Strategy which presents gender equality objectives by 2025.

Gender mainstreaming is also one of the key objectives of the joint EU and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility programme. Under the action "Accountability and professionalism of the judicial system in Montenegro" that is a part of this programme, the EU and Council of Europe are supporting evidence-based integration of the gender dimension into the judicial reform framework in Montenegro.

To this end, a comprehensive gender research was launched recently to gather up-to-date information on gender issues and support gender mainstreaming efforts on the ground. As part of this complex research framework, an online survey for courts was developed, which asks questions regarding gender biases and attitudes, as well as potential gender-based discrimination patterns.

The survey was launched on 1 December, with the technical support of the Supreme Court of Montenegro. It is open to all judges and judicial staff members across all courts in the country and will last until 10 December. The survey's findings and recommendations will be used to promote and enhance the implementation of gender equality standards in the judicial context and facilitate better access of female judges to judicial profession and carrier advancement.

The survey is being implemented under the action “Accountability and professionalism of the judicial system in Montenegro”, that is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022”.