A regional workshop dedicated to accountability and professionalism of public bailiffs was organised in Budva in co-operation with the Judicial Training Centre of Montenegro, Chamber of Public Bailiffs of Montenegro and the Centre for International legal Cooperation (CILC) from the Netherlands, focusing on Council of Europe standards, comparative practices and domestic challenges. The workshop gathered judges, judicial advisors, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, international experts and members of the chambers of public bailiffs from Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.  

During the workshop, several practical thematic sessions were organised on the legal means and legal remedies in the enforcement procedure, focusing on execution of immovable property. The legal analysis of the draft Law on Enforcement and Security was presented by CILC experts. A representative of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) dealing with judicial statistics introduced the judges and bailiffs to specific CEPEJ instruments and reporting, as well as best practices in this area. The workshop ended with a panel discussion with members of the chambers of public bailiffs from Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, facilitating the exchange of best practices and standards regarding the profession of public bailiffs.

It was concluded at the workshop that public bailiffs have the power to act as an enforcement authority in accordance with the enforcement regulations. As members of the independent legal profession, public bailiffs enjoy certain procedural rights and are also subject to corresponding procedural obligations and professional standards. Self-governing Chamber of Public Bailiffs is taking care of the implementation of these standards, in line with the enforcement regulations and the Code of Ethics adopted by the Chamber in 2019 under the   Horizontal Facility Framework.

This activity was organised within the action “Accountability and Professionalism of the Judicial System in Montenegro”, which is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.