Podgorica, (MINA) – Twenty years after the restoration of independence, Montenegro still does not have a judicial system that citizens perceive as sufficiently independent, efficient and resistant to political influence, according to the publication “Two Decades of Judicial Reforms in Montenegro”, prepared by the Civic Alliance (GA) to mark Independence Day.

This NGO stated that the publication provides an overview of the development of the judiciary since 2006 through reform processes within the European integration framework, reports of the European Commission, statistical indicators of the work of courts and the state prosecutor’s office, and public opinion surveys on public trust in institutions.

It is emphasized that, although new laws were adopted over the past two decades, the institutional framework was changed and numerous reforms were implemented in the area of ​​the rule of law, findings indicate that the expected progress has not become sufficiently visible in the daily functioning of the system.

It is added that citizens still perceive political influence, corruption, lengthy procedures and limited results in the fight against organized crime and high corruption as key problems.

“According to the research data presented in the publication, 35.2 percent of citizens believe that the situation in the judiciary has “not changed significantly” since the restoration of independence, while only 8.4 percent believe that the judiciary has “progressed significantly”. At the same time, more than half of the respondents, 51.7 percent, have a negative assessment of the work of the judiciary in recent years”, the GA stated.

The publication further stated that the system’s resistance to political influences, which is negatively evaluated by 64.1 percent of respondents, is particularly concerning, as well as the efficiency of judiciary and the duration of court proceedings, which were negatively rated by 65.4 percent of citizens.

The GA noted that citizens strongly support the implementation of professional responsibility checks (vetting) in the judiciary and the Police Administration, and that more than 77 percent of respondents support this measure, while only 6.5 percent do not approve it.