Montenegro will be first country to join the European Union under the new safeguards designed to ensure all new members uphold agreed democratic standards, preventing backsliding on the bloc’s values

Overcrowding at Montenegro’s main psychiatric hospital is under public scrutiny, as some patients are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, children are treated alongside adults, and forensic patients are confined far longer than necessary

Amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs and a new Law on the National Security Agency adopted by parliament prompted warnings from civil society groups and European officials about potential risks to the rule of law and Montenegro’s EU accession process

The number of foreign nationals working in Montenegro has almost doubled since 2017 in response to a widening shortage of labour in the country; authorities and employers intensity efforts to fill gaps in the legal framework and the jobs market

Former Supreme Court Chief has been convicted of corruption for allegedly protecting a criminal network led by her son and of abusing her position to exert unlawful influence over the judiciary