Montenegro moves to amend constitution to boost judicial independence

The Center for Civil Education (CGO) welcomed an agreement between Montenegro’s government and opposition to start a constitutional amendment process aimed at strengthening the independence of the judiciary. The draft reforms propose removing the justice minister from the Supreme Court Council and establishing that members of the Prosecutorial Council be elected by the same qualified majority as Supreme Court Council members, to curb political influence.

CGO noted that while the amendments adopt several recommendations from the Venice Commission and GRECO, questions remain about the proposed composition of the Prosecutorial Council, which still allows a Justice Ministry representative to be appointed, potentially undermining the goal of equal independence for both judicial bodies.