Efforts of the authorities to reform the judiciary, fight economic crime, combat discrimination and promote the freedom of expression and the media, as well as to advance regional co-operation, are of crucial importance for improving the lives of people of the Western Balkans and Türkiye. The support of the European Union and the Council of Europe in the reform processes in these areas has been valuable and both organisations remain dedicated to co-operation with their partners in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

These were among the key messages of the regional two-day conference that started today in Budva, presenting results the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye 2019 - 2022”.

At the opening of the conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Ranko Krivokapić emphasised the importance of this programme in regard to reaching the highest democratic values and getting closer to membership in the European Union.    

“Horizontal Facility, as a programme of co-operation between the EU and Council of Europe, is a good example of synergetic work between these two organisations in assisting Western Balkans and Türkiye to reach the highest democratic values. The continuous assistance, expertise and policy advice provided to Montenegrin institutions through the two phases thus far has made our path towards EU membership more solid. We are looking forward to the continuation of this partnership in the years ahead of us “, Krivokapić said.

H.E. Oana-Cristina Popa, Ambassador and the Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro, said on this occasion: “With the Council of Europe we have a strong and long-standing partnership. We work together on strengthening rule of law and fundamental rights across the Western Balkans. The Council of Europe sets the standard for important parts of the relevant EU acquis and contributes with high-level of expertise in many areas.”

As she pointed out, the Facility is a Flagship intervention that supports a number of vital rule of law areas: strengthening justice, fighting corruption and organised crime, protection from discrimination and freedom of media and freedom of expression.

Christos Giakoumopoulos, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law at Council of Europe, said at the ceremony that shared values and commitment of beneficiary institutions, partners and civil society actors in the implementation of the programme have been instrumental for its success.
“After more than six years of the Horizontal Facility, we can already underline its added value in providing tailor-made support to the Western Balkans and Türkiye in achieving genuine reforms in the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights”, he concluded.

This joint European Union and Council of Europe programme was created as a co-operation initiative to assist Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to comply with the European standards in crucial areas of their reform agendas. The envelope of the second phase of the programme amounts to ca. €41 million and it has been running in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia as well as Türkiye, since May 2019 until the end of 2022.

Horizontal Facility in Montenegro includes seven beneficiary-specific actions, with a total budget of over €5.14 million. Beside above mentioned, it covers other key areas: justice reform, prison and police reform, inclusive education, as well as freedom of expression.

Some of the most significant results of the programme in Montenegro were achieved in areas such as human rights protection, fight against discrimination, fight against economic crime and freedom of the media. Law on Life Partnership of Same-sex Couples was enacted by Parliament in 2020 as the first piece of legislation regulating the status of same-sex couples in the Western Balkans region. The number of requests for free legal aid in cases of domestic violence has increased by 113% in Montenegro within the last year. Young people have begun to take action against hate speech online. Guidelines of Good Conduct have been created for the high public officials in Montenegro to adhere to. Capacity for addressing money laundering cases was strengthened; the court experts are following the European standards in their work, outlined by the new Code of Ethics. 

Teachers, students and parents have learned how to combat bullying and stereotypes and started to apply this knowledge in practice, through inclusive civic education. Police intervention units improved their skills in the prevention of ill-treatment. Media regulator of Montenegro has exchanged experiences with other media regulators on elections, media pluralism, hate speech and new developments in the efforts to fight disinformation.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.