Podgorica, 3 October 2025 – The Commercial Court of Montenegro, in cooperation with the AIRE Centre, with the support of the United Kingdom Government and the British Embassy in Podgorica, and the RegioTrade project, implemented by GIZ with the support of the Government of Germany, today organised a regional round table on the topic “Efficient management of civil proceedings and legal certainty in commercial disputes”. The event brought together judges and legal experts from Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of exchanging experiences and improving practice in conducting commercial litigation.
President of the Commercial Court of Montenegro Mladen Grdinić emphasised that such an exchange of experiences is of exceptional importance for improving the work of courts: “Commercial judiciary has an enormous significance for the economic stability and international reputation of Montenegro. The decisions we make directly affect the confidence of businesses and investors, and a stable, fair and efficient legal system is crucial for our path towards the European Union. Today’s gathering provides a unique opportunity to exchange experiences with countries facing similar challenges, to find new solutions and models, and to open up issues of procedural discipline and ways of dealing with contemporary challenges. I am confident that we will have a high-quality and constructive discussion that can bring concrete results.”
Deputy President of the Court of Appeal of Montenegro Danijela Vukčević stated: “It is very important for us to be part of such an event which gathers colleagues, not only judges from Montenegro, but also from the entire region. The topic of the round table, efficiency of proceedings and legal certainty, is of exceptional importance and a challenge for us. These issues cannot be resolved without the harmonisation of court practice, predictability of decisions, continuous training of judges, and exchange of experiences among courts. Only in this way can we build a judicial system in which citizens and the business community will have confidence, knowing that their rights are protected.”
During the day, lectures were delivered by Judge Duška Ilić (Serbia), Judges Tina Jakupak and Ksenija Flack-Makitan (Croatia), and Lawyer Armela Ramić (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
AIRE Centre representative Vanja Radević highlighted the regional dimension of the project: “This gathering is another step in strengthening cooperation between the courts of the Western Balkans. The exchange of concrete experiences and good practices helps us to develop solutions that contribute to better protection of the rights of commercial entities and to greater legal certainty. Hearing examples from the region is important in the discussion about how we want to move forward. Many thanks to the donors, and in particular to the representatives of the judiciary who were with us today.”
GIZ representative Fahira Brodlija reminded that the round table is part of a wider programme of arbitration and commercial judiciary reform: “GIZ’s support is focused on strengthening institutions and creating a reliable framework for resolving commercial disputes. Today’s gathering shows that through joint efforts we can build a more efficient judicial system that is more attractive to investors.”
The round table is part of the Arbitration Reform Project in Montenegro and represents an important platform for continued cooperation between Montenegrin and regional courts with the aim of increasing efficiency, transparency and legal certainty in commercial disputes. At the end of the month, a major national conference is expected, which will focus precisely on the issue of arbitration, so today’s discussion was a good introduction to the reforms awaiting Montenegro in this field.
