Restoring public trust in the work of the courts is a priority task for the judiciary, said the President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, Valentina Pavličić.
At a conference dedicated to improving the relationship between courts and the public, organized by the Supreme Court and the AIRE Center with the support of the United Kingdom Government and the British Embassy in Podgorica, she emphasized that courts must be open, accountable and understandable to citizens.
Pavličić emphasized the importance of the new visual identity of the Supreme Court, as a symbol of modernization and strengthening of institutional integrity.
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"Citizens' trust in the judiciary is not built overnight, it is the result of consistency, openness and dedicated work by each of us," added Pavličić.
She stated that, with the implementation of the Communication Strategy for the Courts and the Judicial Council, cooperation between courts and the media has improved significantly.
Pavličić said that responses to media inquiries are provided in a timely and clear manner, and that courts deliver press releases in the service of the public interest, but, as she pointed out, more work needs to be done on communication with all forms of the public.
The experiences of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in communicating with the public were presented by the Head of the Department of External Affairs and Communications, John McManus, who, as announced, pointed out the responsibility of institutions towards citizens.
"An open judiciary is a strong judiciary, and transparency preserves independence and strengthens public trust," he said.
The Supreme Court said that, on the eve of the conference, a meeting between Pavličić and McManus was held, dedicated to improving communication and transparency in the Montenegrin judiciary.
As they said, they discussed modalities that will enable the necessary strengthening of citizens' trust in the work of the courts, especially in cases that are in the public's focus, while providing timely, accurate and understandable information about the work of the courts.
"The interlocutors agreed that it is extremely important to invest in educating young people about the judiciary, and to improve access to professional communication channels and educational video content," the statement said.
The meeting concluded that consistent, open and professional communication is a condition for strengthening the trust and credibility of the judiciary.
"Courts must be understandable, accessible and visible because public trust is the greatest verdict the judiciary can receive," Pavličić and Makmanus said at the meeting.
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