Journalists in Montenegro strengthened their ability to recognise and respond to Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPPs) during a two-day training supported by the joint EU and Council of Europe action „Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Montenegro”.

SLAPPs are increasingly used as a tool to intimidate and silence journalists through costly and time-consuming legal proceedings. The training equipped participants with knowledge of key international standards designed to counter this trend, including the Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2 on countering the use of SLAPPs , and the Directive  on protecting persons who engage in public participation from manifestly unfounded claims or abusive court proceedings. These are two pioneering standards developed to support the journalists against legal threats.

This important capacity building initiative was conducted by the Council of Europe’s international consultant who developed the Regional Baseline Assessment of Legislative and Policy Needs for Implementing Council of Europe and European Union Standards on Countering the Use of SLAPPs.

This activity has been implemented by the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Montenegro” under the joint European Union and Council of Europe Programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye".