The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, in cooperation with the European Union and the Council of Europe in the framework of the joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey”, organises the round table “Judicial reforms in Montenegro – achievements, challenges and perspectives“ which will take place on 26 March 2018 in hotel Hilton in Podgorica.
The goal of the round table is to summarize the results achieved so far by national institutions in the judicial reform process in the period 2014-2018, which is covered by the current Strategy for the Reform of the Judiciary, and to present the current challenges and expected interventions that would be covered by the Strategy for the Reform of the Judiciary for the forthcoming four-year period.
The event will be opened by the introductory addresses of Mr Zoran Pažin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, H.E. Ambassador Aivo Orav, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, Mr Ivica Stanković, Supreme State Prosecutor and President of Prosecutorial Council, Mr Mladen Vukčević, President of the Judicial Council, Ms Stanka Vučinić, Deputy President of the Supreme Court and Ms Angela Longo, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica.
The round table will bring together the presidents of the courts in Montenegro, heads of the State Prosecutor`s Offices, representatives of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, representatives of the Center for Training in Judiciary and State Prosecution, representatives of embassies, international, civil society organisations and representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the Council of Europe.
The round table will start at 9.00h, on 26 March 2018 (Monday) in hotel Hilton.
Language regime: English-Montenegrin with simultaneous interpretation.
The event will be open for media.
Please find attached the working programme of the round table.
Contact for media requests: Ms Vesna Keković, Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica; contact: [email protected]; mobile: 067/540 500.
Agenda of the event can be found here.
Background information on the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey
On 11 April 2016, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, and the European Union’s Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, announced a new co-operation initiative aimed at supporting South-East Europe and Turkey in their efforts to comply with European standards. The initiative is called the European Union/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey (Horizontal Facility). It is a three-year programme (May 2016 – May 2019), focusing on three themes: ensuring justice, fighting economic crime as well as combating discrimination and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups. It has a budget of 25 million euros, of which 20 million euros has been provided by the European Union and 5 million euros by the Council of Europe. Through the Horizontal Facility, the European Union and the Council of Europe will assist beneficiaries in South-East Europe and Turkey to comply with Council of Europe standards and the European Union acquis, through a complementary two-fold approach of technical co-operation and the provision of expertise. The Horizontal Facility relies on the Council of Europe’s unique working methods, whereby tailor-made technical co-operation activities are based on conclusions and recommendations of the Council of Europe’s monitoring bodies, which highlight areas where improvements are needed in legislation and policies of the beneficiaries to comply with the Organisation’s standards.
More information on the Horizontal Facility is available here.