The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published today its Fourth Round Evaluation Report on Montenegro. It focuses on the prevention of corruption of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors and provides recommendations to the Montenegrin authorities on addressing the deficiencies identified.

GRECO recognises the positive steps made by Montenegro in recent years to meet the commitments arising from its membership in the Council of Europe, as well as EU accession requirements. However, corruption continues to be an important concern in the country, with the lack of successful investigations and convictions, as well as the sense of impunity for high-level officials, which greatly undermines public trust in the political system and the judiciary.

GRECO calls on the authorities to carry through legislative reform–not only on paper, but also in practice, and to sharpen anticorruption measures within the legislature and judiciary, including by punishing cases of graft and misconduct more effectively. The Parliament is called upon to complement its recently adopted Code of Conduct with a credible enforcement mechanism. (more...)