DPM Marković: Montenegro focuses on strengthening rule of law, fight against corruption, organised crime

Podgorica, Montenegro (12 February 2013) – Montenegro’s accession to NATO, as one of its key foreign policy goals, will bring undoubted economic, security and overall gains to Montenegro, the meeting between Deputy Prime Ministers Duško Marković and permanent representatives to NATO from Slovenia, Slovakia, Luxembourg and Croatia concluded at a meeting in Podgorica earlier today.

DPM Marković informed the NATO delegation about the reforms in strengthening the rule of law, at the strategic, normative and operative levels, focusing on the judiciary reform as a fundamental prerequisite for the country’s progress. He paid special attention to the intensive training programmes for judges and prosecutors within the Judicial Training Centre and to the plans to turn the centre into a judicial academy. In that regard, he underlined the importance of the court network rationalisation’s analysis, which is expected to be on the government’s agenda soon.

The officials discussed the fight against corruption and organised crime in Montenegro, adding that efforts should be also concentrated on combating the negative perception as well as the actual threats. DPM Marković acquainted the NATO delegation with Montenegro’s track record in combating organised crime, as well as with its police, prosecutorial and judicial cooperation with the countries of the region and beyond.

Aside from the significant improvements that have been made in combating corruption, DPM Marković stressed, it remains a major challenge having in mind the difficult transition process Montengro had experienced, but also the characteristics of the society. The intensive efforts have been made in reinforcing the limited police and prosecutorial capacitates, he underlined, reiterating the possibility of establishing a special court and prosecution office with the aim of bringing together all the competences and human resources.