The Final Steering Committee of the second phase of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Montenegro” (JUFREX) was held in Podgorica on 9 December 2022.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Government, judiciary, police, broadcasting regulator, lawyers’ and journalists’ associations, who worked together since 2019 through the challenging political and social circumstances, contributing to the new dynamics of media legislative and policy reforms, and improved judicial training in the areas of freedom of expression and safety of journalists, which contributed to the positive trends with the relevant domestic case-law.

The Steering Committee referred to the key results, especially the increased capacities of judges and prosecutors to apply the relevant case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the expert support provided to improve the draft media legislation and policies, which would serve as the functional framework for further pursuit of European standards in the area of freedom of expression and the freedom of the media. The action also strongly supported the efforts of the civil society to effectively address a broad range of issues of concern for the media community, ranging from the protection of journalistic sources to the communication with the judicial and police bodies and the safety of journalists.

Furthermore, the action contributed to the inclusive and effective co-operation between the public bodies, media and civil society sector, which has been welcomed as an important effect, amid strong polarisation with media scene and growing concerns over the safety of journalists, as noted by the European Commission in its latest annual report on Montenegro.

The action has been implemented by the Council of Europe under the Joint European Union and the Council of Europe Programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022".