Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

Under the action "Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro", the European Union and the Council of Europe are teaming up to enhance Montenegro’s judicial system, ensuring fair trials and stronger protections for victims. As part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye,” this initiative focuses on creating transparent and fair performance evaluations for judges and prosecutors—an essential step toward a more accountable justice system.

The new evaluation rules, set to be implemented by the end of 2024, aim to improve the performance benchmarks, by emphasising legal proficiency, ethical behaviour and respect for human rights. The evaluation process will include feedback mechanisms for relevant stakeholders, identifying the needs and avenues for continuous professional development for judges and prosecutors based on evaluation outcomes.

The new framework draws inspiration from proven models across Europe and adheres to standards set forth by the European Court of Human Rights and the Venice Commission, ensuring that Montenegro’s judiciary aligns with the highest European benchmarks.

Once adopted, targeted capacity building will be rolled out to ensure that new evaluation bodies implement the new system effectively. An advanced framework will set the foundation for a robust evaluation system, ensuring that performance assessments are conducted with integrity and reflect the highest standards of judicial conduct, while respecting judicial independence.