As of 1 February 2022, the time limit for submitting an application to the European Court of Human Rights after the final national decision will be reduced to four months. That is one of the main novelties introduced by Protocol No. 15 to the European Convention on Human Rights, that entered into force on Sunday, 1 August 2021.

With the aim to inform the legal professionals on the application of the Protocol 15, a working meeting with the lawyers in Montenegro took place on 16 December 2021 in Podgorica. The meeting was an opportunity to present the changes introduced by the Protocol, as well as to discuss the challenges at the national level to apply human rights standards, particularly concerning the enforcement of the Constitutional Court’s decisions.

Following the working meeting with lawyers, an information sheet containing main information on the application of Protocol 15 will be developed and distributed to the legal professionals. It will serve as a useful tool for application of human rights standards at the national level.

The meeting with lawyers was organised within the action "Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro", which is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.