Civil Code of Montenegro to provide greater protection of citizens' rights and improve economic environment

Podgorica, Montenegro (7 March 2018) -- Unification of rules and norms regulating contractual, family, inheritance and other civil rights within the Civil Code will provide greater legal security for the Montenegrin citizens and a more reliable legal environment for economic advancement of the society, today's conference dedicated to the codification of the Montenegrin civil law stressed.

On the eve of marking 130 years since the adoption of the first Montenegrin Civil Code, the General Property Code for the Principality of Montenegro by Valtazar Bogišić, the Government of Montenegro has set up a team composed of prominent legal experts who, with the support of the London-based AIRE Centre and the UK Embassy in Podgorica, are engaged in the drafting of the Civil Code of Montenegro, as a comprehensive set of legal norms and principles of social life, which undoubtedly represents the most demanding legal work since restoring independence.

Opening the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin emphasised the importance of codifying civil law for strengthening legal security, as a prerequisite for strenghtening the rule of law.

"Historically, the social context of the countries that sought to unify their civil rights in the Civil Code pointed to the need to build and strengthen national unity, integrity between the state and society, as well as the economic valorisation of society, thus strengthening legal certainty," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

He said that the National Commission for the Codification of Civil Law, composed of eminent legal experts, will be working on drafting the critical peace of legislation, fully open to the participation of all interested social stakeholders.

"Being aware of the significance of the Civil Code for modern Montenegro and its future, we are willing to regularly review these attitudes at this kind of meetings, be open to the public, listen attentively to others' points of view, and to strive to achieve fundamental values through such a process, to make the civil-legal system sustainable and long-term," said DPM Pažin.

Dragan Vukčević, President of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU), which hosted today's conference, emphasised the wider social significance of codifying civil law and pledged the Academy's full support to developing the capital work of Montenegro's legal culture.

UK Ambassador to Montenegro Alison Kemp expressed satisfaction that the United Kingdom has the opportunity to support a comprehensive reform of the Montenegrin civil law in order to make citizens' access to justice easier and reduce the complexity of regulations and legal uncertainty for business people and investors, as well as to prevent corruption.This ambitious legislative venture is in line with the key priorities of the European integration process, especially under the conditions for Chapter 23 relating to strengthening the rule of law and respecting fundamental rights, the UK Ambassador pointed out.

She also welcomed the transparent and open approach of the Government in the drafting of the Civil Code, through the participation of legal experts and social stakeholders, noting that the final version of the legal text will provide better protection of the rights of the Montenegrin citizens, but also make Montenegro more competitive at the European level in terms of business and investment.

AIRE Centre Programme Manager for the Western Balkans Biljana Braithwaite pointed out the importance of creating a coherent and predictable set of legal rules for foreign investments, protecting the independence and impartiality of the court and modernising the legal system in line with international standards.

The conference entitled "Codification of Civil Law in Montenegro - Presentation of Basic Concepts and Experiences in the Region" was sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, London-based AIRE Centre and the UK Embassy in Podgorica.

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER