Podgorica, (MINA) - True justice does not differentiate between the powerful and the weak, but represents the highest form of equality, said Supreme Court President Valentina Pavlicic, adding that the key to progress is in the actual law application.

Speaking at the Adria Future Summit Montenegro 2026, she said that the process of European integration is not only political and economic, but above all a legal and value-based process in which institutions and trust have been simultaneously built.

Pavlicic warned that issues of judicial efficiency, duration of proceedings, public perception and political influence still pose serious challenges that directly affect citizens’ trust in institutions.

Speaking about the role of the judiciary, she said that it is not only a check on government, but also the foundation of legal certainty and a key point between the state and the citizen.

Pavlicic emphasized the importance of judicial independence, stressing that it must be real and measurable, but always in balance with accountability.

She also pointed to the need to move from the phase of normative harmonization to the phase of actual implementation of law, stressing that this implies consistent, non-selective application of the law, strengthening the integrity of judicial office holders, the development of a legal culture based on quality and reasoned court decisions and increasing openness of the judiciary to the public.