Podgorica, (MINA) – Montenegro continues to make progress in meeting the final benchmarks under chapters 23 and 24, according to the European Commission’s (EC) latest rule of law non-paper.

 

The document, obtained by Radio-television of Montenegro (RTCG), shows a detailed overview of the reforms implemented since the last EC report on Montenegro in November last year.

 

The document recommends maintaining a strong focus on adoption of the remaining legislation, building administrative capacities in order to fully meet the closing benchmarks, especially in the judiciary, fight against corruption and organized crime, visa policy, border management, media freedom and fundamental rights.

 

The EC assessed that Montenegro has continued to make progress in judicial reform and that the adopted measures have begun to produce concrete results.

 

In particular, according to the correspondent of RTCG from Brussels, the continuation of the implementation of the Justice Reform Strategy, as well as the initiation of constitutional amendments that further strengthen the independence of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, were positively evaluated.

 

The EC also noted further improvements in the institutional stability of the Supreme Court, the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office (VDT) and the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT), but warned of delays in appointments to the senior judicial positions, which directly affect the efficiency of the institutions’ work.

 

Regarding the fight against corruption, the EC concluded that progress in strengthening the institutional and legislative framework continued during the reporting period.

 

The appointment of a new director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption after a long period of institutional deadlock was emphasized as an important progress.

 

When it comes to the fight against organized crime, the EC stated that the legislative framework is largely aligned with the EU acquis and international standards, and that the institutions continue to achieve results in prosecuting the most serious forms of crime.

 

The biggest criticism refers to the need to further improve the track record of final judgments in organized crime and money laundering cases.

 

Montenegro, as stated, continues to maintain a high level of alignment with the EU visa policy, but the EC still insists on full compliance in this area.

 

When it comes to the media freedom, the EC assessed that the media in Montenegro operate in an environment that generally allows free, independent and professional work, noting that, however, there was no major progress in resolving old cases of attacks on journalists, and highlighted the poor socio-economic position of media workers.