The aim of the meeting was to provide support to the Working Group working on the preparation of amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption (LPC), through a constructive dialogue with the representatives of key institutions, international organizations and the civil sector, in order to improve and establish a comprehensive and efficient preventive anti-corruption legal framework.

The meeting was attended by Mr Dušan Drakić, Acting Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Mr Bojan Božović, Minister of Justice, Mr Momo Koprivica, Deputy Prime Minister for the Political System, Judiciary and Anti-Corruption, as well as the representatives of international partners from the embassies of the United States of America and France, and the EU Delegation to Montenegro. The meeting also brought together numerous experts from the non-governmental sector and other relevant institutions and international organizations.

During the meeting, Mr Dušan Drakić, Acting Director of the Agency, emphasized the importance of this discussion, stating that reporting corruption is one of the most important preventive mechanisms in its prevention and at the same time the primary link between the Agency and citizens.

"We have great hopes that the conclusions from this round table will contribute to the development of a comprehensive legal framework that will provide adequate protection and support to all citizens who dare to report suspicions of corruption," Drakić said.

Mr Bojan Božović, Minister of Justice, emphasized the Ministry's commitment to strengthening the legislative framework for the fight against corruption and stressed the importance of international cooperation and support in that process.

"The Ministry of Justice is aware of the need to draft a special law that would regulate the status of whistleblowers in detail, which will also be part of the Ministry's program for 2025. Whistleblowers are a voice that must not be ignored. In order for our fight against corruption to be successful, we must ensure that whistleblowers have adequate protection of their rights, support and security, and we must all be responsible in that process," Minister Božović said.

During the discussion, the participants identified challenges and analysed possible directions for improving whistleblower protection, including the need for a special law that would focus exclusively on reporting corruption and protection of whistleblowers, which would further strengthen this area. Of particular concern was the fact that in accordance with the new LPC, which entered into force on 12 June, it is only possible to provide whistleblowers with judicial protection, while this competence was taken away from the Agency after eight years of positive experience with the application of this institute. The participants expressed concern that this change could discourage potential whistleblowers due to fear of retaliation from employers, as well as the costs of court proceedings.

At the end of the meeting, it was pointed out that the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the Ministry of Justice would continue intensive work on improving anti-corruption legislation, including regular round tables that would enable the active involvement of all relevant social actors in that process.

The next round table will be dedicated to the role of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption in the entire anti-corruption system of Montenegro.