COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Montenegro 2020 Report Accompanying the

Montenegro remains moderately prepared to apply the EU acquis and the European standards in the area of the judiciary and has made limited progress overall, namely through the continuous implementation of the ICT strategy for the judiciary. [...] The decision of the Judicial Council to re-appoint seven court presidents, including the President of the Supreme Court, for at least a third term raises serious concerns over the Judicial Council’s interpretation of the letter and the spirit of the Constitutional and legal framework, which limits those appointments to maximum two terms in order to prevent over-concentration of power within the ju. [...] The growing volume of region-wide disinformation further polarised the society in the aftermath of the adoption of the Law on freedom of religion and during the electoral campaign. [...] Many of the directors-general and directors in the ministry, the head of the Human Resource Management Authority (HRMA), the General Secretary and both deputies, and the head of the CFCU are women. [...] The decision of the Judicial Council to re-appoint seven court presidents, including the President of the Supreme Court, for at least a third term raises serious concerns over the Judicial Council’s interpretation of the letter and the spirit of the Constitutional and legal framework, which limits those appointments to maximum two terms in order to prevent an over-concentration of powers within th.