According to the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice’s (CEPEJ) Guide on communication with the media and public for courts and prosecution authorities, judicial power is the least visible to citizens, as it least intervenes in the public debate. As a result, the function of justice remains obscure for many citizens. This particularly refers to prosecution which is at the forefront of public scrutiny when prosecuting perpetrators of crime.

Due to an ever-increasing use of technology and social media, every miscommunication is likely to receive broad attention with possible harmful consequences for the prosecution and those who represent it. Capacity to manage communications, both regarding general prosecution performance as well as emergency cases has become crucial for ensuring public trust into prosecution' work.

To increase the prosecution's capacities to effectively communicate its responses to crisis situations, guidelines on communication in crisis situations have been drafted and discussed at the workshop held in Budva on 21/22 December. The workshop was attended by the members of the Supreme State Prosecution Office and Prosecutorial Council with the aim to prepare the final draft of the guidelines and enable prosecutors to provide reliable and adequate information which will ensure and strengthen public trust in the prosecution authorities. The Guidelines have been drafted in line with the PR and Communication Strategy of the State Prosecution and Prosecution Council 2019 - 2022, which was adopted in December with European Union and Council of Europe' support.

The workshop was organised under the action “Accountability and professionalism of the judicial system in Montenegro” which is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.