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EUROL 4 (2026 - 2028)

European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro (EUROL IV 2026 - 2028)

EUROL 4

European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro (EUROL IV)

EUROL 4

European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro (EUROL IV)

About – European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro EUROL IV (2026 – 2028)

EUROL IV (2026-2028) (European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro) is a seamless and direct continuation of the previous EUROL IV Action and represents the next phase of the long-term and strategic partnership of the EU with Montenegro to strengthen the rule of law and to support Montenegro’s accession process. This action will further support Montenegro’s progress on its path to EU accession by deepening reforms in the justice and security sectors and support the successful conclusion of the final benchmarks in the negotiation chapters 23 and 24.

EUROL IV (2026-2028) started its activities in February 2026 and has an expected implementation period of 30 months.

The total grant value of EUROL IV (2026-2028) is EUR 2.5 million.

The immediate predecessor Action EUROL IV (European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro) was building on the achievements of its predecessor projects—EUROL I, II, and III—by continuing their work in the justice and security areas and coordinating closely with other rule of law initiatives active in Montenegro and the wider region.

 

EUROL IV started its activities in November 2024, with full implementation from April 2025, and had an expected implementation period of 17 months which has subsequently been extended to 22 months.

The total grant value for EUROL IV was EUR 1.5 million.

EUROL IV (2026-2028) and its predecessor action EUROL IV are both funded by the European Union with a combined total grant value of EUR 4.0 million.

Both actions (EUROL IV and EUROL IV (2026-028)) are implemented by aed – Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development, in cooperation with the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, the Croatian Ministry of Justice, and the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior.

Overall and specific objectives of EUROL IV (2026-2028)

The overall objective of EUROL IV (2026-2028) is to support Montenegro’s preparation for EU accession by strengthening the capacity of justice and security institutions and by assisting it in aligning with and effectively implementing the relevant EU acquis and EU standards in the fields of rule of law, justice and security in line with the new enlargement methodology and with the aim of supporting the closing of the final benchmarks for negotiation chapters 23 and 24.

The specific objectives aim to strengthen the independence, efficiency, and professionalism of the judiciary and prosecution service, build the necessary institutional capacity to combat high-level corruption, organized crime, money laundering and tobacco smuggling and other serious forms of crime, produce a convincing track record on more complex types of organised crime as well as on the confiscation of proceeds of crime, improve preventive anti-corruption mechanisms and internal control systems, particularly within law enforcement agencies, and support Montenegro in meeting the EU accession benchmarks under Chapters 23 and 24.

Structure of EUROL IV (2026-2028)

All activities will be implemented with the aim of contributing to and achieving the fulfilment of the final benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24, as well as ensuring the effective readiness and absorption capacity of the beneficiary institutions.

To achieve the objectives of EUROL IV (2026-2028), the project team is focusing its efforts on the following four areas:

  • Enhancing professional skills and institutional capacities to fight high-level corruption and organised crime;
  • Supporting key judicial reforms that promote independence, impartiality, efficiency, and professionalism of the judiciary and prosecution;
  • Improving internal control and anti-corruption mechanisms, particularly within the police;
  • Supporting judicial and law enforcement bodies in aligning with EU accession requirements and achieving and closing the final benchmarks under Chapters 23 and 24.

Aim and Activities of the Horizontal Component (Overarching Support for Chapters 23 and 24 of the EU Accession Process)

The aim of this component is to provide strategic guidance, coordination, and quality assurance across all project components, ensuring coherence, sustainability, and alignment with EU integration benchmarks (Chapters 23 and 24), while strengthening the institutional capacity and readiness of the beneficiary institutions to absorb and implement reforms effectively.

Aim and Activities of Justice Component

The justice component of EUROL IV (2026-2028) aims to support the implementation of key judicial reforms, resulting in a judiciary with enhanced independence and a prosecution service with greater autonomy. The support activities also seek to strengthen the impartiality, accountability, efficiency, and professionalism of both the judiciary and the prosecution. Additionally, the component focuses on building the capacity of judicial and law enforcement institutions to meet the requirements and benchmarks of Chapters 23 and 24 of the EU accession negotiations.

Aim and Activities of Police Component

The police component of EUROL IV (2026-2028) aims to strengthen the operational and institutional capacity of law enforcement agencies to effectively combat serious and organised crime, as well as high-level corruption. It also seeks to improve internal integrity and anti-corruption mechanisms within the police force and focuses finally also on improving traffic safety and road security.

EUROL IV (2026 - 2028) Team

Overarching Support Team

Dr. Richard Regner LL.M.
Team Leader and Head Overarching Support Team
About Dr. Richard Regner
Snežana Špindler
Legal Advisor
About Snežana Špindler

Justice Team

Branko Hrvatin
Head Justice Team and Senior Justice Expert
About Branko Hrvatin
Vladimir Simonović
Legal Advisor
About Vladimir Simonović

Police Team

Dr. Johann Wagner
Head Police Team and Senior Police Expert
About Dr. Johann Wagner
Ognjen Mitrović
Legal Advisor
About Ognjen Mitrović

Office Support Team

Nina Bukilić
Office Administration Manager
About Nina Bukilic
Jasmina Vojnović
Office Finance Manager
About Jasmina Vojnović

Translation and Interpretation Support Team

Milica Vučinić
Interpreter/Translator
About Milica Vučinić
Goran Vukićević
Interpreter/Translator
About Goran Vukićević

News & Events
News

Workshop on improving cooperation and coordination between competent Montenegrin authorities in the areas of traffic police and road safety

EUROL 4 organized on 17 June 2026 in Podgorica a workshop focusing on improving the cooperation and coordination between competent Montenegrin authorities related to moving and stationary traffic (Police Directorate, Municipal Police and municipal authorities of Podgorica responsible for the administration of parking space and dealing with parking offences). In the run-up to the event,

Read More »
23. June 2026
News

New Tools to Improve Court Efficiency and Transparency

EUROL 4 presented the new tools and methodologies for improving the efficiency and transparency of court operations, held at the Supreme Court of Montenegro on 27 May 2026. The event focused on four key areas of EUROL 4 support: the new methodology for annual court reporting, fast-track resolution of cases, the AI-assisted case-law system, and

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23. June 2026
News

Support for the Development of an Asset Declaration Data Synchronization System

EUROL 4 supported the Agency for Prevention of Corruption in advancing the establishment of a secure data synchronization system for asset declarations and enhanced inter-institutional connectivity. The activity was conducted in two phases, from 20–22 April and 18–20 May 2026, to identify the legal, organizational, and technical prerequisites for secure data exchange, thereby supporting the

Read More »
23. June 2026
Show all

Contact

European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro (EUROL4 2026 – 2028)

Hercegovacka 32
81000 Podgorica
Montenegro

Mail: office@eurol-4.eu

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Dr. Richard Regner LL.M.

Team Leader and Head Overarching Support Team

Dr Richard REGNER LL.M. studied law at the universities of Vienna and Leicester and holds Master of Law degrees from the Universities of Vienna and Leicester and a Doctor Juris degree from the University of Vienna. He worked as an assistant at the University of Vienna and served as diplomat in the Austrian Foreign Service. After having worked at the Austrian Constitutional Court as scientific advisor, he entered the bar in Austria and practiced law in Austria and Central Europe for over 20 years, mainly in the areas constitutional, administrative, and European law. Since 2015 he worked in different functions in European Union funded projects (mainly in the EURALIUS project as expert on free legal professions, in the International Monitoring Operation in Albania as Chief Legal Advisor and in EUROL 3 in Montenegro as Team Leader and Horizontal Component Head). He has extensive experience as university lecturer in public law courses and is the author of a considerable number of scientific publications, mainly in the areas of international, European, and public law.

Snežana Špindler

Legal Advisor

Snežana ŠPINDLER graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Novi Sad. She began her career at the Basic Court and later in a notary office. After passing the bar exam, she continued her work at a law firm. She is a licensed attorney for representing minors in criminal proceedings, as well as a certified mediator.

Branko Hrvatin

Head of the Judicial Team and Senior Judicial Expert

 

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb, Branko Hrvatin served as a judge at both the Municipal Court and the County Court in Zagreb. In 2004, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia, and the following year became its President. His mandate was renewed in 2009 and again in 2013. Between 2001 and 2004, he was a member and Vice President of the State Judicial Council. Beginning in 2005, he also served as President of the State Electoral Commission of the Republic of Croatia. In June 2014, he was elected Vice President of the Network of Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the European Union. After completing a twelve-year term as President of the Supreme Court of Croatia, in 2017 he was appointed as an international observer in the vetting process of judges and prosecutors within the International Monitoring Operation in Albania. Mr. Hrvatin has also lectured and moderated at numerous national and international seminars, workshops, and symposia.

Vladimir Simonović

Legal Advisor

Vladimir SIMONOVIĆ is a legal professional with more than five years of experience in legal affairs, project management, project proposal development and international cooperation focused on rule of law, human rights, anti-corruption, and electoral rights. Vladimir has managed trial-monitoring initiatives, developed data-collection and analysis tools and methodologies, and contributed to research on rule of law, good governance and anti-corruption. He participated in several ENEMO and ODIHR international election-observation missions.

Dr. Johann Wagner

Head Police Team and Senior Police Expert

Dr. Johann WAGENR is a senior expert in the areas of strategic security management, security sector reforms, rule of law, institution and capacity building, public administrative law, police management and leadership, EU integrated border management, fight against cross-border organized crime, risk analysis, counter-terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters, cyber-crime and artificial intelligence in the context of preventing transnational threats and fight against cross-border organised crime. For more than 40 years, Dr. Wagner was a senior civil servant of the Bavarian Ministry for Internal Affairs (senior police officer i.R.) and worked in all relevant areas and departments of the Bavarian Police and Border Police, both in mid- and senior level positions. Due to his outstanding professional expertise, Dr. Wagner was continuously assigned as principal adviser and senior expert to international organisations since 1998. He worked for the European Union and its agencies (EEAS), EU Commission and its Delegations in various countries, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations (UNODC in Vienna, Kabul and Bangkok and UNOCT in New York), INTERPOL, and with other supra-national organisations (for example ICMPD, DCAF, IOM etc.). He holds a Ph.D. from Sheffield Hallam University, UK. In his thesis he examined the correlation of various forms of organized crime along with their different criminological phenomena and the impact on State’s law enforcement agencies, their security policies and strategies, and how to master these challenges.

Ognjen Mitrović

Legal Advisor

Ognjen MITROVIĆ is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Montenegro, with over thirteen years of experience in international judicial cooperation, European integration, and the fight against corruption and transnational organized crime. He spent nine years at Montenegro’s Ministry of Justice, where he held various roles, including Director General of the Directorate for International Cooperation. As a national representative, Ognjen has contributed to several international networks and bodies, including the Council of Europe, OSCE, and EUROJUST. He has also served as a member of Montenegro’s National Council for the Fight against Corruption, the Commission for NATO, and the Working Group for Negotiation Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom, and Security.  In addition to his governmental work, Ognjen was engaged as a consultant in several projects under the auspices of the European Union (EU), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), National Democratic Institute (NDI), and Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) and he also worked as a legal advisor for the European Union Support to the Rule of Law in Montenegro (EUROL 3) project.

Nina Bukilić

Office Administration Manager

Nina BUKILIĆ has extensive experience working primarily in international environments, including with the EU Delegation, GDSI, and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO). Throughout her professional career, she has been engaged in the implementation of EU-funded projects, with responsibilities spanning project planning and coordination, representing her organization both locally and abroad, organizing events, reporting, and managing administrative and logistical tasks. Ms. Bukilić has also provided high-level interpretation and translation services—both written and oral—for the European Commission, the United Nations, various civil society organizations, and government institutions.

Jasmina Vojnović

Office Finance Manager

Jasmina VOJNOVIĆ is a finance manager with twenty years of experience in administration, organizational development, and management, finance and business administration, financial and accounting operations. Over the years of her work, she has managed a number of internationally and EU funded projects, and was responsible for the complete financial administration, budgeting, and reporting. At the same time, she has been providing consultancy and training services to CSOs and other organizations and institutions on different topics related to organizational development and management. Ms Vojnović was also the speaker on many conferences and seminars organized in Montenegro and abroad.

Milica Vučinić

Interpreter/Translator

Milica VUČINIĆ is a translator and interpreter with over fifteen years of experience in various areas (rule of law, justice and home affairs, medicine, public administration and international affairs). She has also extensive experience in administration and implementation of international projects. Her duties included translation of various project materials and interpretation during conferences, meetings, presentations, study visits and trainings.

Goran VUKICEVIC is a translator and interpreter with extensive experience in legal, financial, and institutional contexts. With nearly twenty years as a banker specialising in anti-money laundering in leading Montenegrin banks, he transitioned in 2024 to focus on translation and interpretation. Appointed in 2019 as a court interpreter for English by the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro he has built a substantial portfolio of translation work. His experience includes translation as well as oral interpretation for the police, courts, prosecution offices, and private companies.