Building upon the results from previous two phases of the Horizontal Facility programme, the third phase of the Action against economic crime in seeks to improve the rule of law in Montenegro. It will be using and effectively applying the numerous new policy and legislative tools developed through the previous phases, drive the fundamental reforms towards establishing credible track record in the fight against corruption and money laundering and bring actual change of entrenched inefficient practices in this area.
The first Steering Committee of the action, co-chaired by representatives of the Council of Europe’s Economic Crime and Co-operation Division and Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, met on 21 April 2023 in Podgorica. The meeting gathered the senior officials representing corruption and money laundering prevention and law enforcement bodies in Montenegro who reaffirmed their commitment to the action’s objectives relating to enhancing the effectiveness of the fight against corruption and money laundering.
The Steering Committee discussed and approved the workplan and the calendar of activities of the action for the upcoming period, reiterating the importance of the support aimed at the implementation of the recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL).
Among the action’s priorities agreed by the Steering Committee for the forthcoming period are the need assessment for the strategic anti-corruption framework, capacity raising for the police and prosecutors in conducting financial investigations for virtual assets, and capacity- building activities for the Agency for Prevention of Corruption for in-depth verification of income and asset declarations.
The activity was organised by the Action against economic crime in Montenegro, within the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.