Montenegro

Legal policy starting point

Montenegro, which declared its independence in 2006, pursues a political and economic reform course within the framework of EU integration. After having officially submitted its application for EU membership on 15 December 2008, Montenegro was officially awarded the status of an EU candidate two years later. The country made further progress towards EU accession on 12 October 2011 when the European Commission proposed in its annual progress report to take up accession negotiations with Montenegro.

A focus within the IRZ’s project work in this region is on Montenegro, so that the young state with its approx. 600,000 inhabitants can tackle the tasks in the legal field which arise in the context of EU integration despite its restricted staffing resources.

Cooperation to date

The IRZ Foundation has carried out its work in Montenegro in a separate project area since 2007. Reliable working contacts were established here with the country’s Judicial Training Centre and with the “Pravni Centar” (Legal Centre) non-governmental organisation, which concentrates its operations on the fields of consultation, legal aid and legal aid for court costs.

Major partners

• The Judicial Training Centre of the country
• “Pravni Centar” non-governmental organisation

Strategy and method

The IRZ Foundation involves the Montenegrin experts in activities in neighbouring countries where the same language is spoken, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for reasons of cost effectiveness. In view of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Montenegro, which has been ratified by all Member States of the EU, the activities were stepped up in 2010 once more. The focus here was on the area of support for the judiciary.

Foci of activity in 2011

Civil law

Seminars at the Judicial Training Centre in Podgorica on the topics:

• Law on compensation, in particular compensation for intangible damage
• Prohibition of the abuse of process in civil procedure
• Labour law
• Family and inheritance law (with attendance by experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia)

Other

• Attendance by Montenegrin experts at the symposium entitled “National patent jurisdiction in Europe” at the Federal Patent Court in Munich
• Distribution of specialist publications which were drawn up in the context of the IRZ’s project work in other countries of the region, where related languages are spoken, to selected project partners

Outlook

The IRZ Foundation continues its projects in Montenegro in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre and the Pravni Centar and continues to support Montenegrin lawyers through involvement in its activities in the region.