At the final conference of Phase II of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey, held in Budva on September 27 and 28, 2022, it was announced that the European Union and the Council of Europe have a strong and long-term partnership, and work together to strengthen the rule of law and fundamental rights in Montenegro.

The event brought together Montenegrin beneficiaries of the largest cooperation program of the European Union and the Council of Europe, worth over 41 million EUR.

The director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption Jelena Perović, among others, presented at the conference, thanking the European partners for their continuous support and sharing their own experiences, which gave impetus to the processes of strengthening the environment of the rule of law and the adoption of standards that bring us closer to the key strategic goal of joining the EU.

As a beneficiary of Phase II of the Horizontal Facility, the Agency developed methodologies in the field of control of financing of political entities and election campaigns, with the help of experts from the Council of Europe, conducted an analysis of the Law on Prevention of Corruption with recommendations for its amendment, and a draft of the Law on Lobbying, and developed a medium-term Communication Strategy.

"Considering what the Agency achieved in the previous two years, it was confirmed how valuable the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe was to us in fulfilling our mission of protecting the public interest and affirming the rule of law, and strengthening the role of the promoter of the values of integrity and good governance in public sector", said director Perović.

“Teamwork and the achieved level of synergy, mutual understanding and appreciation have proven to be a successful formula, which we will consistently apply in the period ahead.”

In the II phase of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey, which lasted from 2019, 4.7 million EUR was allocated in Montenegro for seven projects that cover all key areas of the Horizontal Facility: judicial reform, protection of human rights, reform of the prison system and the police, the fight against corruption and economic crime, the fight against discrimination and inclusive education.