Božović: Montenegro's commitment to rule of law reforms remains a priority

Montenegro's commitment to rule of law reforms remains a priority, and cooperation with the United Kingdom provides us with additional impetus in achieving European standards, said Minister of Justice Bojan Božović.

He has completed an official visit to the United Kingdom, and today in London he met with Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrade, a senior official at the British Ministry of Justice.

The meeting focused on improving cooperation in the field of justice, strengthening the rule of law, and exchanging best practices to further harmonize Montenegro's legal order with European and international standards, the Ministry of Justice announced.

"During the conversation, I informed Lord Ponsonby about the significant progress that Montenegro has made in the European integration process, including meeting key criteria through the Instrument for Accession Assistance (IBAR). I also shared our Government's plans to close negotiation chapters by 2026. Montenegro's commitment to rule of law reforms remains a priority, and cooperation with the United Kingdom provides us with additional impetus in achieving European standards," said Božović.

The delegation, consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the NGO AIRE Center from London, also visited the Commercial Court, where a meeting was held with the President of the Commercial Court, Andrew Henshaw, and a judge at the Commercial Court and representative of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC), Robin Knowles.

"The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the improvement of the legislative and institutional framework in the field of arbitration law. The exchange of experience with British judges contributes to the further improvement of the capacities of the Montenegrin judiciary, in order to conduct arbitration proceedings more efficiently," said Biljana Braithwaite, Director of the AIRE Center's Western Balkans Program.

Božović assessed the visit as extremely useful for strengthening bilateral relations between Montenegro and the United Kingdom: "This visit was an opportunity to exchange experiences, strengthen cooperation and consolidate friendly ties with the United Kingdom. I am convinced that all agreed activities will significantly contribute to the modernization of our judicial system and the acceleration of Montenegro's European path."

These meetings concluded the official visit of the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, organized by the AIRE Center with the support of the British Government.