Podgorica, (MINA) - Montenegro’s progress towards the EU will depend exclusively on judicial reforms and tangible results in the fight against high-level corruption and organized crime, it was heard at the annual conference “Independent and Professional Judiciary – the Key Precondition for EU Integration”.

Chair of the Steering Committee of the Center for Monitoring and Research (CEMI), Zlatko Vujovic, assessed that political tensions and institutional crises in Montenegro have slowed down the reform process and diverted the focus from professional to political field.

“I call on all key decision-makers to implement all the activities foreseen by the Judiciary Reform Strategy by the end of next year and meet the final benchmarks in chapters 23 and 24. There is no time for delays. Montenegro has been given a chance that we must not miss”, Vujovic said at a conference organized by CeMI.

Vujovic believes that comprehensive vetting at this moment would have inconceivably negative consequences for the EU integration process, and warned against the misuse of the vetting concept for political purposes.

He also expressed concern about the excessive use and duration of detention, and pointed to the significant costs of unjustified deprivation of liberty.

Head of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, Johann Sattler, said that Montenegro’s further progress on the EU path depends on the results in the area of ​​rule of law reform.

He assessed that the ambitious goal of closing chapters 23 and 24 by the end of next year is realistic only with full institutional commitment and acceleration of reform processes.

Satler stressed that the appointment of the remaining Constitutional Court judges, four members of the Prosecutorial Council and one member of the Judicial Council is a priority on which the functioning of the judicial system at full capacity depends.

According to him, the Parliament Speaker assured him that activities on these issues will be undertaken in the coming weeks.

Sattler added that the EU wants to see that the constitutional and legislative frameworks are fully aligned with European standards and the recommendations of the European Commission and the Venice Commission, as well as to demonstrate a clear balance of results, not only indictments, but also final verdicts in cases of high-level corruption and organized crime.

Supreme Court President Valentina Pavlicic, said that judicial independence is not a privilege, but a fundamental right of every citizen to be judged impartially, based on the law and facts.

Speaking about detention, Pavlicic said that the legal framework is in line with European standards, in practice detention decisions are often not sufficiently individualized, or well-reasoned or may consist merely of formal listing of legal grounds.

Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Markovic, speaking about detention, said that the prosecution operates efficiently, acts in accordance with European standards and human rights, and that it is not responsible for the overcrowding of detention facilities.

Minister of Justice Bojan Bozovic said that the next 12 months are crucial for closing the negotiation chapters 23 and 24, and pointed out that the state is aware of the overcrowding of remand prisons, noting that steps have been taken to improve conditions, through increased budget allocations and the construction of four new facilities in Spuz, instead of the previously announced construction of a new prison facility in Mojkovac.