Podgorica, (MINA) – The level of perceived judicial independence in Montenegro continues to be very low among the general public, and the main reason for this is the influence or pressure of the Government and politicians.

 

This was assessed by the European Commission (EC) in its annual Report on the Rule of Law released on Friday, which, apart from the EU member states, included candiate countries.

 

In the part of the report on Montenegro, it is stated that the level of perceived judicial independence remains very low among the general public, and now is average among companies.

 

According to the report, 26 percent of the general population and 52 percent of businesses perceive the level of independence of courts and judges as “fairly or very good” in 2026.

 

The perceived ijudicial ndependence among the general public remained the same as in 2025 (26%), while among businesses it has increased significantly compared to 2025 (35 %).

 

“The main reason cited by the general public for the perceived lack of independence of courts and judges is the perception of interference or pressure from the Government and politicians”, the EC stated.

 

The report points out that although the Judicial and Prosecutorial Council have an established mechanism for reporting cases of undue influence, criticism and attacks against prosecutorial authorities and their decisions have continued, raising concerns.

 

The EC states that some improvements have been made in terms of efficiency, while challenges with civil and commercial cases remain. According to the EC for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) for 2024, the clearance rate for first-instance administrative cases increased to 109%, but it dropped sharply to 48% in second-instance cases.

 

According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2025, Montenegro scores 46/100 and ranks 65th globally.

 

"This perception has been stable over the past five years. The 2026 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 81% of respondents consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average 71%), and 28% of respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their everyday life (EU average 30%)”, the EC states.

 

When it comes to businesses, 76% of companies believe that corruption is widespread (EU average 65%), and 68% believe that corruption is a problem when doing business (EU average 37%).

 

The EC points out that the legal framework regulating financing of political parties has yet to be aligned with the OSCE/ODIHR and GRECO recommendations to increase transparency and control of spending of political parties.

 

“The legal framework remains to be aligned through a transparent and inclusive consultation process, with existing recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR and GRECO, to substantially increase transparency and control of political parties’ spending, and to prevent the abuse of state resources, including through dissuasive penalties”, the report reads.