The meeting was attended by Mr Bojan Božović, Minister of Justice, Mr Dušan Drakić, Acting Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, international partners – U.S. Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke, the representatives of the embassies of the United States of America and France, as well as the representatives of the EU Delegation to Montenegro. Their presence, together with experts from the aforementioned countries, the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the civil sector, enabled an open dialogue and the exchange of best international practices in anti-corruption activities.

Minister Božović pointed out that in the coming period, at least two more events would be organized in this format, which would bring together all interested parties - representatives of institutions, international organizations and partners, as well as representatives of the civil sector, with the common goal of further improving the legal framework in the field of preventing corruption. He also stated that the Ministry of Justice had established a Working Group for drafting the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption, and that that one, in a series of round tables, which would be organized in cooperation with the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, represented a useful and important step aimed at obtaining proposals for the development of adequate legal solutions for the prevention and fight against corruption.

"This event is an opportunity for the expert community to express their opinions when it comes to the implementation and improvement of the normative framework in the field of anti-corruption," Minister Božović concluded.

Mr Dušan Drakić, Acting Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, emphasized the importance of today's event and pointed out that the Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, international partners and the civil sector, was actively working to improve the Law on Prevention of Corruption.

"This Law represents the basis for the Agency's activities, but through its long-term implementation, we have observed a number of obstacles that hinder the effective fight against corruption and reduce the trust of citizens. It is through cooperation with the expert community and international partners that we strive to create the conditions for a better and more efficient legislative framework," Drakić pointed out.

During the event, the participants discussed challenges and potential solutions related to the legal obligations of public officials and the issue of the scope of public functions in Montenegro. In particular, the need to redefine the status of public officials was emphasized with the aim of better harmonizing obligations and responsibilities with the real risks and needs of a small society such as the Montenegrin one. The participants expressed their concern about the increasing number of persons considered to be public officials, which burdens the administrative capacities of the competent institutions and may make it difficult to focus on priority anti-corruption tasks.

The round table ended with the conclusion that it is necessary to speed up the process of amending the Law on Prevention of Corruption, with a focus on clearer definition of obligations and responsibilities, rationalization of the number of public officials and achievement of a higher level of transparency. All participants expressed their willingness to continue cooperation on this important path, with the aim of strengthening the rule of law and the trust of citizens in the work of public institutions.

The Ministry of Justice and the Agency for Prevention of Corruption will continue to actively work on this issue in the coming period, with the constant support from international partners and the participation of relevant domestic actors.