Back Montenegro institutions assess progress in aligning laws with the same-sex partnerships framework

Podgorica 9 July 2025
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
  • Imprimer en PDF
Montenegro institutions assess progress in aligning laws with the same-sex partnerships framework

Montenegro is taking further steps to ensure that the rights of same-sex couples are fully protected, as institutions met on 9 July to review progress on aligning existing laws with the Law on Same-Sex Partnerships.

Organised under the joint European Union and Council of Europe action Combating hatred and intolerance in Montenegro, the meeting gathered representatives of ministries and institutions responsible for adapting laws and by-laws under their jurisdiction. The aim was to provide updates on the current status of legal harmonisation, identify gaps, and explore avenues for technical support from the Council of Europe in moving forward.

Representative of NGO Queer Montenegro also attended the meeting, and presented their study on alignment, offering concrete solutions for amendments of respective laws and by-laws.

Lejla Dervišagić, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica, reminded that the Law on Same Sex partnerships was adopted five years ago with the expert support from the Council of Europe.

Mirjana Pajković, from the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, emphasised that legislative alignment is one of  key activities under the Action plan for fulfilling the final benchmarks in negotiating Chapter 23- Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.

Friederike Wuenschmann, from the EU Delegation in Montenegro,  spoke about importance of having accurate data on alignment process for the purpose of preparing annual country report for Montenegro.

Representatives of various ministries shared progress updates, with alignment already underway in many areas. However, more efforts must be invested in aligning laws within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue regular exchanges on the alignment process, with the next follow-up meeting tentatively planned for the end of September.

The action “Combating hatred and intolerance in Montenegro” is implemented within the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkiye".

Horizontal Facility III

The joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” (Horizontal Facility III) is a co-operation initiative, running from 2023 until 2026.

The programme covers actions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. It enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.

The third phase of the programme is worth €41 million (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

*Оваа ознака не ги прејудицира ставовите за статусот и истата е во согласност со Резолуцијата на ОНСБ 1244 и Мислењето на МСП за Декларацијата за независност на Косово.