Podgorica, (MINA) – Montenegro has made progress in judicial reform, but public perception of the judiciary’s work is often shaped by individual cases, non-objective analyzes and generalizations, which is why it is necessary to improve public communication, it was heard during the presentation of the Regional Judiciary Perception Survey.

 

The survey, conducted by the World Bank and the European Commission, has demonstrated that perception of the efficiency of courts and prosecutor’s offices in Montenegro remains more positive than negative, however confidence has declined compared with 2020, especially among businesses and lawyers.

 

World Bank program coordinator in Montenegro, Denis Mesihovic, said that the report examines four key dimensions of the judiciary – efficiency, quality, accessibility and independence, but also perceptions of the appeals system, the role of the media and reform efforts so far.

 

He said that Montenegro has made some progress in judicial reform, including improving efficiency and reducing the number of backlog cases in many courts.

 

“More than 50 percent of respondents gave positive assessment of the efficiency of the system, while the quality of court decisions has been further strengthened through training and professional development. Certain steps have also been taken to strengthen the independence of judges and prosecutors from political influence”, said Mesihovic.

 

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Podgorica Riccardo Serri said that the judiciary is under constant public scrutiny since it serves citizens and represents one of the foundations of a democratic society.

 

Serri noted that Montenegro has invested significant efforts in reforming the judiciary and thanked the representatives of the institutions for their commitment in previous years.

 

Supreme Court President Valentina Pavlicic assessed that the survey represents an important indicator of the state of judiciary and the direction in which the reforms should continue.

 

Speaking about public trust, she called on the media and citizens to be objective towards the situation in the judiciary.

 

Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Markovic assessed that the results of the latest survey provide an important indicator of the state of the Montenegrin judiciary and a strong incentive for the continuation of reforms.

 

“We are discussing perception, which does not always reflect the real situation in the judiciary, but this is exactly why survey can serve as an incentive to be even more critical of ourselves and improve communication with the public”, said Markovic.

 

Minister of Justice Bojan Bozovic said that the state and judicial institutions have not yet succeeded in adequately presenting the results of their work to the public and assessed that it is important to speak openly about public perception of the judiciary and to work on strengthening trust in the institutions.

 

According to him, citizens should be closer introduced to concrete results and positive examples in judiciary and prosecution, and continuously educated about what the institutions can and cannot do within their legal powers.