Spajić and Brammertz note significant progress: Reduced political influence on Montenegro's judiciary

Montenegro has made significant progress in the field of rule of law, particularly in reducing political influence on the work of the prosecution and judiciary, as noted during the meeting between Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Serge Brammertz.

During the meeting, Spajić emphasised the progress achieved in Chapters 23 and 24, as evidenced by receiving IBAR. However, Montenegro is not resting on its laurels and aims to further improve its judicial system.

We are working to enhance conditions for the prosecution to ensure they operate in an environment conducive to delivering the right results. Rule of law remains a priority, and we are committed to reaching the standards of the most developed EU countries. We look forward to expert support from the Mechanism for our judicial institutions as we pursue our EU accession goals, said the Prime Minister.

Prosecutor Brammertz highlighted the strong cooperation between the Mechanism, the Supreme and Special State Prosecutor's Offices, and the Ministry of Justice.

He praised Montenegro's progress in distancing politics from the judiciary and expressed satisfaction with the government's momentum in advancing European integration.

The international community must support Montenegro in maintaining this positive momentum and new dynamism. We will do everything to assist your judiciary, including providing expert support to bolster capacity, particularly in the fight against all forms of crime, including war crimes, Brammertz stated.

During the meeting, Montenegro's commitment to respecting international obligations in the area of war crimes and its ongoing cooperation with the Residual Mechanism, as well as with neighbouring countries in fulfilling the mandate of this body, was reaffirmed.