Combating hatred and intolerance in Montenegro
The action “Combating hatred and intolerance in Montenegro” offers assistance in improving the record of fighting discrimination, hatred and intolerance in Montenegro. It intervenes in line with the latest trends in the field of racism and intolerance in Europe as outlined in the Annual Reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), as well.
The technical support is provided as part of the Montenegro’s EU accession process, in line with European standards – notably those from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and its recommendations (2017) and conclusions (2020) on Montenegro – as well as with the COE Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on combating hate speech (2020) EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025.
This action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” running from 2023 until 2026.
What are the goals and objectives of the action?
- to increase the awareness of the institutions, of the civil society and of the population in Montenegro about hatred and intolerance and related European standards;
- to develop a harmonised and effective institutional approach to tackle these issues.
Who benefits from the action?
- institutions of Montenegro;
- civil society organisations;
- youth and people leaving in the local communities;
- the general population.
How does the action work?
- through provision of expertise and capacity building initiatives;
- through awareness raising possibilities, involving local level partners, youth and the people of Montenegro;
- by adapting existing tools and methodologies of the Council of Europe and combining them with relevant EU standards;
- by providing occasions for inter-institutional dialogue on issues of pertinence to equality, to foster co-operation among partners and for enhancing the dialogue between state and non-state stakeholders;
- it builds on the results achieved under the previous phase of the Horizontal Facility programme and the action on Promotion of diversity and equality in Montenegro and the regional on Promotion of diversity and equality in the Western Balkans.
What do we expect to achieve?
- institutions show an overall improved record of reforms to combat discrimination, hatred and racism in line with European standards, better addressing the needs of vulnerable groups and minorities;
- people in Montenegro become more aware of the negative effects that hate and racism have to the cohesion of the society and are enabled to respond to these challenges in the local context;
- Montenegrin institutions and civil societies improve their awareness and capacity to react to discrimination and hate motivated incidents and attacks in line with European standards;
- institutions and other local stakeholders are aware of the dangers posed by hate speech to the society and their effects in Montenegro and take initial steps to respond to hate speech in a systemic manner.
What is the budget of the action?
The total budget of the actions is 400 000 EUR.
The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).
How to get more information?
About the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye
The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.
