In a bid to align with European standards on freedom of expression and protection of public participation, representatives from judicial and justice institutions met in Podgorica to discuss effective responses to Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

The two-day event convened judges from appellate and basic courts, as well as ministry representatives from Kosovo* and Montenegro, to share experiences and explore ways to implement the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2 and Directive (EU) 2024/1069 of the European Parliament and of the Council on protecting persons who engage in public participation from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings (SLAPPs), into domestic legislation and practice.

Participants were presented with the findings of the Regional Baseline Assessment of Legislative and Policy Needs for Implementing European Anti-SLAPP Standards, which identifies legal gaps and offers tailored recommendations for six jurisdictions in the Western Balkans. The exchange also included peer-to-peer reflections on ongoing legal reform efforts and institutional approaches.

On the second day, participants were introduced to the Council of Europe Training Programme on Countering the Use of SLAPPs, a structured initiative aimed at equipping legal professionals with tools for identifying, documenting, and effectively addressing SLAPP cases. The programme featured expert presentations, group exercises on SLAPP indicators, and a session on documentation techniques across various platforms.

This bilateral exchange forms part of the Council of Europe’s broader efforts to strengthen institutional cooperation and promote legal environments that uphold public participation and freedom of expression in line with European standards.

The two actions “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Montenegro (PROFREX-M)” and Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Kosovo* (PROFREX-K) within which the training was organised, is implemented by the Council of Europe as part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”. The training was organised by the Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence."