Representatives of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils of Montenegro visited the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in scope of the study visit organised under the  joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro”.

The visiting delegation headed by the Acting Supreme State Prosecutor/President of the Prosecutorial Council and by the Acting President of the Judicial Council of Montenegro was composed of ten members of the Councils and two representatives of the Councils’ Secretariats.

The participants of the visit were informed about the work of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and of various bodies and departments of the Council of Europe. Representatives of CEPEJ, GRECO, Venice Commission, CCJE/ CCPE Secretariat, the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) and Human Dignity and Gender Equality Department made presentations with the aim of informing the visiting delegation about the role and functioning of their respective secretariats and working groups. Meetings with a Judge elected in respect of Montenegro and with Representative of Montenegro before the European Court of Human Rights were organised as well. Topics discussed included the alignment of the domestic judicial practice with ECtHR case-law and the execution of ECtHR’s judgements.

In consequence, new members of the Judicial Council and Prosecutorial Council were introduced to the Council of Europe standards, best practices and tools for ensuring independence and impartiality of judiciary and delivering justice to citizens. Through the exchange of experiences with European legal professionals, the culture of judicial integrity and professionalism was promoted and enhanced.

The delegation also had a meeting with the Ambassador Božidarka Krunić, Permanent Representative of Montenegro to the Council of Europe.

The action "Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro” is part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye".