
N1.T3 – Vesna Medenica in Court Proceedings: Hearings Delayed 23 Times Across Two Criminal Cases
20/11/2024
N1.T5 – Judges Declare November Work Stoppage in Demand for Higher Salaries
20/11/2024N1.T4 – CEPEJ Shows Significantly Reduced Efficiency of the Montenegrin Judiciary

HRA NEWSLETTER 1 – TOPIC 4
According to the report from the specialized body of the Council of Europe, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), the Montenegrin judiciary did not operate efficiently in 2022, with a significant decline compared to previous periods. Particularly alarming are the conditions in the Administrative Court and the prolonged duration of trials in civil, commercial, and criminal proceedings.
The CEPEJ report encompasses 44 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as Israel and Morocco as observer states. Notably, the report indicates that the Administrative Court of Montenegro experienced the largest drop in efficiency at the European level, plummeting by 89%. Proceedings before this Court averaged 739 days, with only Serbia displaying a similarly troubling situation.
Montenegro ranks fourth in Europe regarding the number of cases in relation to its population, trailing behind Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia; however, its efficiency is notably worse than these countries. Among the countries analyzed, Montenegro is unique in that the increase in the inflow of cases correlates with decreased court efficiency.
“The analysis of performance indicators reveals a concerning state in Montenegro, where resolution times have increased by 136 days—nearly 50%—accompanied by a 21% drop in case resolutions,” the document states.
Furthermore, for the first time in the last six evaluation cycles, the time required to resolve civil and commercial disputes exceeded 300 days. The backlog of cases in these types of disputes within the Supreme Court of Montenegro stands at 93%, the highest in Europe, with Croatia following at 42%.
In contrast, while 68% of European countries reported improvements in the efficiency and duration of criminal proceedings between 2020 and 2022, Montenegro saw a 15% decline in efficiency, with the duration of proceedings extending to 313 days. This places Montenegro among six countries where judicial efficiency has deteriorated.
Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, Executive Director of the NGO Human Rights Action, remarked that the CEPEJ report “places the issues facing the Montenegrin judiciary in a European context, underscoring that the situation is alarmingly poor relative to other European nations.”
She cautioned that the next CEPEJ report may well categorize Montenegro among states with a worryingly ineffective judiciary, a situation that could hinder Montenegro’s EU accession process. Gorjanc-Prelević emphasized the urgent need for remedial actions such as filling vacant judicial positions, electing judges, advisors, and interns, amending procedural laws, improving working conditions, and increasing salaries.
HRA NEWSLETTER 1
- N1.T1 – High Court Judges in Podgorica Appeal: Current Number of Judges Insufficient to Address Case Backlog
- N1.T2 – Ninth Attempt to Elect the President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro
- N1.T3 – Vesna Medenica in Court Proceedings: Hearings Delayed 23 Times Across Two Criminal Cases
- N1.T4 – CEPEJ Shows Significantly Reduced Efficiency of the Montenegrin Judiciary
- N1.T5 – Judges Declare November Work Stoppage in Demand for Higher Salaries
- N1.T6 – Constitutional Court Fails to Notify Montenegro’s National Assembly of Judges’ Terminations, Ignoring Statutory Obligation
- N1.T7 – Inertness of the Judicial Council Is Threatening the Transparency and Independence of the Judiciary