The third Steering Committee Meeting of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro", took place in Podgorica. The meeting brought together key stakeholders and local actors involved in Montenegro's justice reform and the protection of victims' rights. This meeting served as an opportunity to evaluate the progress made and discuss with beneficiaries and partners key future interventions and co-operation. 

Concrete and tangible results were achieved where the action has supported the development of amendments to judicial and criminal legislation, providing expert and technical support in revising the Law on Judicial Council and Judges, Law on State Prosecution Office, Criminal Procedural Code, Law on Free Legal Aid and Law on Domestic Violence. These legislative changes will mark an important step in reinforcing justice sector reform and improving the delivery of justice to citizens.

Simultaneously, the work at the policy level continues with support on development of the National Victims’ Protection Strategy, the Communication Strategy for Judicial Council and Courts and fiscal impact analysis of the Strategy for Reform of Judiciary (2024 – 2027) and by-annual Action plan for its implementation (2024-2025).

Moving forward, the action’s focus will be on completing legislative reforms aligned with EU acquis, Council of Europe´s standards and the Venice Commission’s recommendations. These efforts will be complemented by capacity-building activities to ensure effective implementation and a harmonised approach in its application by legal professionals. A significant aspect of the action plan includes strengthening of integrity and ethics of judges and state prosecutors, as well as the establishment of a comprehensive approach in addressing the victims´ rights. The action will continue to work towards enhancing protection for all victims involved in judicial proceedings, offering support services, legal aid and protection from repeated victimisation.

Representatives of the beneficiary institutions reiterated their commitment to advance the justice reform and victims’ protection initiatives. The collaborative efforts of the European Union and the Council of Europe will play a vital role in achieving these objectives.

The action “Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims’ rights in Montenegro” is a part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.