The Minister of Justice of Montenegro, Bojan Božović, who is on an official visit to the United Kingdom, met today in London with Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, a senior official at the UK Ministry of Justice. The meeting focused on enhancing judicial cooperation, strengthening the rule of law, and exchanging best practices to further align Montenegro’s legal framework with European and international standards.
“During the discussion, I informed Lord Ponsonby about Montenegro’s significant progress in the process of European integration, including achieving key criteria through the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR). I also shared our Government’s plans to close negotiation chapters by 2026. Montenegro’s commitment to reforms in the area of rule of law remains a priority, and cooperation with the United Kingdom provides us with additional impetus to achieve European standards”, stated Minister Božović.
The delegation, which includes representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro and the AIRE Centre also visited the Commercial Court, where they held a meeting with Justice Henshaw, President of the Commercial Court, and Robin Knowles, a judge at the Commercial Court and a representative of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC).
“The meeting was an opportunity to discuss improving the legislative and institutional framework in the area of arbitration law. The exchange of experiences with British judges contributes to further strengthening the capacity of Montenegro’s judiciary to more effectively conduct arbitration proceedings”, said Biljana Braithwaite, Director of the AIRE Centre’s Western Balkans Programme.
Minister Božović described the visit as extremely beneficial for strengthening bilateral relations between Montenegro and the United Kingdom: “This visit was an opportunity to exchange experiences, strengthen cooperation, and solidify friendly ties with the United Kingdom. I am confident that all the agreed activities will significantly contribute to modernising our judicial system and accelerating Montenegro’s European integration”, concluded Minister Božović.
These meetings marked the conclusion of the official visit by Montenegro’s Ministry of Justice, organised by the AIRE Centre with support from the UK Government.