Ministry of Justice to continue close cooperation with NGOs in 2013

Podgorica, Montenegro (27 December 2012) – Ministry of Justice has had an excellent cooperation in various projects with the NGOs monitoring the area of judiciary and rule of law, and thus provided for an even closer cooperation next year, the meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Duško Marković and NGO representatives held yesterday in Villa “Gorica” concluded.

The representatives of several prominent Montenegrin NGOs (Human Rights Action, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Centre for Civic Education, Centre for Monitoring, European Movement in Montenegro, 4Life, Civic Alliance, the Helsinki Committee, Institute “Alternative”) voiced their views on how the cooperation with the Ministry may be improved in the coming period and they discussed the key projects their respective organisations will undertake in 2013. In that regard, the minister and the NGO representatives agreed to maintain close cooperation and communication and the Minister invited NGOs to participate even more.

Minister Marković and NGO representatives dubbed the current model of working groups for EU accession talks as “very successful”, underlining how important it is that NGO representatives are invited to participate in the negotiation structures.

Deputy Minister and Justice Minister Marković informed his guests of his ministry’s top priorities for the following year, such as the drafting of a new Strategy of the Judiciary Reform, amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, the drafting of the Law on Alternative Sanctions, projects for a more rational network of courts, and priorities on the European agenda, including the drafting of actions plan for negotiating chapters 23 and 24. Minister Marković invited NGOs to give their contribution to the drafting of these documents through expert analyses, suggestions, and participation at public discussions held for these purposes.

They also discussed the constitutional amendments and the opinions of the Venice Commission as an issue of crucial importance both for judiciary reform and for Montenegro’s European integration.