Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is the oldest pan-European political organization, established in 1949 in Strasbourg, France, with the aim of promoting democracy, protecting human rights and ensuring the rule of law in the member states. The Council of Europe brings together 46 member states.

All the Council of Europe members are party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the fundamental international document to protect human rights and freedoms on European soil. The ECHR established the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Signed on 4 November 1950 in Rome, the ECHR entered into force on 3 September 1953. Montenegro signed the European Convention on Human Rights right after the restoration of its independence, on 6 June  2006. Apart from the ECHR, Montenegro is a party to 89 Council of Europe's conventions.

Montenegro became a member of the Council of Europe on 11 May 2007. The Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the Council of Europe was opened on 1 October 2007.

The Council of Europe in Montenegro operates through its Programme Office in Podgorica. The Program Office does not have a political mandate. Its primary function is to provide the necessary expertize and technical support to Montenegrin state authorities. It is most evident through the implementation of joint EU and Council of Europe programmes: the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye and the ROMACTED programme to promote good governance and Roma empowerment at the local level.

The Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey is a joint collaboration initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe. It enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.

The third phase of the programme (Horizontal Facility III) started in January 2023 and will run until 2026. The budget of this phase is €41 million, of which 85% is financed by the European Union and 15% by the Council of Europe. The plan for action builds on the results already achieved by the programme in the previous phases and combines regional and beneficiary-specific projects.

Themes covered by the Horizontal Facility include the strengthening of justice, fight against corruption and economic crime, freedom of expression, and combating discrimination and protection of the rights of vulnerable groups.

ROMACTED, “Promoting good governance and Roma empowerment at local level”, is a Joint Programme between the European Union (DG NEAR) and the Council of Europe. The project pursues the following objectives: improving local democracy, accountability, inclusiveness and responsiveness towards Roma citizens and thereby improved delivery of services.

The Programme is designed to build up political will and sustained policy engagement of local authorities, to enhance democratic local governance and to build up capacity and stimulate the empowerment of local Roma communities to contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of plans and projects concerning them.