Official Visit of the Commissioner Michael McGrath to Montenegro

Michael McGrath, European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, paid an official visit to Montenegro. During the visit, the Commissioner met with representatives of civil society, the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro, and the judiciary. The meetings focused on legal certainty, judicial independence and the protection of fundamental rights.

He emphasised that the European Union strongly supports the independence and integrity of the State Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro. He particularly stressed that any form of inappropriate influence on prosecutors is unacceptable.

He also encouraged the continuation of reform activities and confirmed the European Union’s readiness to continue providing expert and institutional support to strengthen the capacity of the prosecutorial organisation.

With the Minister of Justice of Montenegro, Bojan Božović, McGrath discussed the results achieved by judicial institutions in the fight against organised crime and high-level corruption.

McGrath also met with the Chief Special Prosecutor, Vladimir Novović, and the Supreme State Prosecutor, Milorad Marković.

The Commissioner praised the work of the Montenegrin prosecution service and underlined the importance of a continuous and determined fight against organised crime and high-level corruption.

In addition to meetings with officials, in an interview with RTCG, he also referred to Montenegro’s ambitious goal of closing all chapters by the end of 2026, stating that Brussels stands alongside Montenegro on that path. He highlighted the importance of Chapters 23 and 24, the adoption of constitutional amendments concerning the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils, and the filling of vacancies in all judicial bodies and anti-corruption institutions.

“It is necessary to amend the rules governing the evaluation of judges and court presidents and to ensure that the remaining vacant posts at higher levels within judicial authorities — for example, at the Constitutional Court, where there are two vacancies — and within anti-corruption bodies are filled as soon as possible. I have no doubt that there is political will to do so, but we must ensure that these reforms are implemented in order to secure a strong rule of law, with an independent judicial system,” McGrath stated.