More than seven thousand commercial, family, labor and insurance disputes last year did not end immediately before a judge, but at the mediator's table - and in January of this year alone, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Center received 520 new cases.
From that Center, which is managed by Maja Golović Vojinović told "Vijesti" that a total of 7.144 cases were received during 2025. As they stated, 6.313 cases were initiated by proposals to initiate mediation proceedings, while 831 cases were submitted by the competent courts.
According to the data they provided, 3.519 cases from that year were concluded in 2025, as well as another 2.248 cases from 2024.
The Center explained that the monthly inflow averages around 500 cases.
"In January 2026, 520 cases were received at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Center," they stated in their response to "Vijesti".
Speaking about the types of disputes that most often come to the Center, the ADR said that the Law on Alternative Dispute Resolution prescribes the obligation of parties who intend to pursue a court dispute to contact the Center before initiating it in order to attempt to resolve the subject of the dispute through mediation, in small value disputes, insurance disputes and individual labor disputes, the Center stated.
They added that the 2020 amendments to the Civil Procedure Act introduced additional obligations for courts in certain types of cases.
"The amendments to the Law on Civil Procedure from 2020 stipulate the obligation of acting judges to submit court files in which the state of Montenegro, the Capital, the Royal Capital and in commercial disputes are sued, to the Center in order to organize the first meeting with the mediator," they said.
The ADR agency also stated how they proceed when the competent court delivers a case to them.
"The procedure for handling a case submitted to the Center by the competent court includes archival processing of the file, appointing a mediator and assigning him/her to the case, communication between the mediator and the parties in order to organize the first meeting with the mediator and, if necessary, sending an invitation to attend the first meeting with the mediator," the Center's responses state.
Disputes are resolved quickly when parties work actively.
When asked about the duration of the procedure, the ADR explained that the length of mediation depends on the type of dispute and the actions of the parties.
"When it comes to the duration of the mediation process, it is important to understand that its length is influenced by several factors, depending on the type of dispute and the parties involved," they stated, explaining that some cases are concluded quickly when the parties are actively working on an agreement, while others take longer. Disputes that last significantly longer are those in which the parties to the dispute insist on its duration for some reason (the principle of voluntariness), as well as disputes in which the parties cannot resolve the dispute for objective reasons," the Center said.
They added that the total duration is also affected by the period from the conclusion of the settlement to its verification in court.
"It should be noted that the length of the procedure is affected by the time elapsed from the moment the settlement is concluded (the end of the mediation procedure) to its certification by the competent court," they stated.
Regarding the effectiveness of mediation in 2025, the ADR provided information that in 573 cases the procedure was concluded with a settlement.
The Center explained in its response that success cannot be viewed solely through a single percentage, as it depends on the type of dispute.
"However, the percentage of positively concluded cases before the ADR Center is a relative category, because in some types of disputes the percentage of successful agreement between the parties is around 95 percent (compensation for non-pecuniary damage due to bites/attacks by stray dogs), while in others the percentage is lower (property-legal disputes, determination of property rights or status rights from employment, so-called non-mediable cases)," they stated.
They added that they also see the importance of mediation as its preventive role, in situations where a settlement has not been concluded, but the parties no longer engage in litigation after the conversation.
"When the preventive role of the mediation process is taken into account (a situation where a settlement has not been concluded, but the parties have discussed the disputed relationship and have abandoned litigation in the future), it becomes clearer why mere statistics on 'resolved' cases cannot be a relevant indicator of the role of mediation in society in general," the Center stated.
They described cooperation with the courts from the ADR as good, with special reference to the memorandum with the Supreme Court.
"In organizational and technical terms, the cooperation between the Center and all relevant courts could be characterized as very good. The Memorandum of Cooperation signed by the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Supreme Court of Montenegro should be mentioned as significant here," they stated.
As they explained, the most important part of that memorandum relates to providing space in basic courts for the work of mediators.
"The most significant part of the memorandum is the obligation of all basic courts in Montenegro to provide an office on the court premises that will be available to mediators for holding meetings in the mediation process," they said.
The Center also stated that the courts have designated contact persons for communication with the Center, have created a stamp for verifying settlements, and that the length of time the court keeps files during the settlement verification process is acceptable. They also emphasized proper cooperation with all courts and judges in Montenegro.
In their response to "Vijesti", the ARS also expressed their position on the role of mediation in relieving the burden on the courts.
"Mediation today plays an increasingly important role in relieving the burden on the courts... One of the main goals of mediation is to relieve the burden on regular courts and redirect some of the disputes from the courts to dispute resolution through mediation," they stated.
The Center told "Vijesti" that the large volume of cases, along with existing personnel and organizational capacities, pointed to the need for systematic work management and changes in the organization.
"Regardless of the challenges the Center faces daily in its work, progress has been made in terms of ensuring efficient and sustainable work," they said.
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