Montenegro falls short on GRECO police appointment reforms

The Council of Europe’s anti‑corruption body GRECO released its second compliance report for Montenegro, finding that the country fully implemented eight of the 22 recommendations aimed at preventing corruption and enhancing integrity in high‑level executive functions and law‑enforcement bodies. Thirteen recommendations were only partially applied, while one – requiring merit‑based, politically independent police appointments – was not implemented at all. GRECO gave Montenegro until 30 June 2027 to submit a progress report on the remaining measures.

The report praised progress such as the adoption of a national anti‑corruption strategy, integration of integrity checks into police recruitment, and the revision of the police ethical code. However, it highlighted persistent shortcomings, including limited training for serving officers, the absence of a confidential ethics advisory mechanism, and the need to strengthen the capacity of the anti‑corruption agency and enforce new legislation on asset disclosure and conflict‑of‑interest reporting.