OSCE Mission to Montenegro assists the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office in its communication to the public and publishes research measuring trust in Prosecution

Half of the respondents report that they are informed about the work of the State Prosecutor’s Office, while in 2022 less than a quarter reported the same. 41 per cent of respondents believe that the State Prosecutor’s Office is accessible and open to the public, which represents an increase of 11% compared to the previous year. Approximately 41 per cent of respondents believe that the work of the State Prosecutor’s Office is transparent, and a bit less than a half of respondents are familiar with this jurisdiction, indicating the need for improved communication between the institution and citizens.

These are some of the findings from an opinion poll Perception of the State Prosecutor's Office in Montenegro, commissioned by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and conducted by DeFacto Consultancy in September 2023.

“Overall, nearly one-third of the respondents hold a positive or somewhat positive general attitude towards the State Prosecutor’s Office, while just over one-third have a some-what negative or very negative attitude,” said Slaven Živković of the DeFacto, presenting the results.

The survey also shows that trust in state prosecution offices at all levels has increased compared to 2022. Almost fifty per cent of citizens have some or complete trust in the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, a seven per cent increase from 2022, and around 55 per cent of respondents have some or complete trust in the Special State Prosecutor's Office, a 12 per cent increase from 2022. Corruption and organized crime were overwhelmingly identified as problems in Montenegro, showing that citizens have strong expectations in the work of the Prosecution in this regard.

Tatjana Begović, Acting Supreme State Prosecutor, thanked the OSCE Mission to Montenegro for its continuous support of this annual research. “We are encouraged that this year’s research shows a growing trust in state prosecution offices at all levels. At the same time, this obligates us to further improve our work.” said Ms. Begović.

Head of OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Dominique Waag welcomed the decision to publicize the research for the second time. “This will support the Supreme State Prosecutors’ Office in enhancing their communication with citizens. To boost transparency is imperative for the State Prosecution Service to communicate effectively with the public and the activities they undertake, said Waag, adding that to inform the public about ongoing OCC cases, in line with transparency standards, while ensuring the presumption of innocence, is of public interest.”

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro assisted the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office in drafting and implementing their first communication strategy; an important effort to increase transparency and institutional outreach. In addition to supporting this research, the Mission contributes to the production of a TV format “Get to know the Prosecutor’s Office”, to enhance the State Prosecution Office’s public outreach. The Mission will continue its support to State Prosecution Service in 2024 and offered to equip a conference/press room to communicate effectively with the media and the public.

The public opinion survey on the perception of the State Prosecutor’s Office in Montenegro was conducted on a sample of 1,002 adult respondents, using a multistage random sampling selection method.