On 10 October 2025, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG) signed the Protocol on the Protection of Journalists with governments’ representatives (Supreme State Prosecutor, Ministers of Culture and Media, Justice, and the State Secretary at the Minister of Interior), media outlets/organisations and the Association of Local Public Broadcasters.
The Protocol aims to establish a comprehensive and coordinated institutional framework to ensure faster and more efficient responses to threats and attacks on journalists and media workers. The Mechanism will monitor and report incidents, provide legal and psychological assistance through a 24/7 contact line, and will provide mandatory training for law-enforcement and judicial officials.
Signed on 10 October 2025, the Protocol is considered a milestone by the Montenegrin media landscape in a context of increasing attacks against journalists.
“In just nine months, 20 attacks were recorded, including SLAPP lawsuits, threats, and physical assaults,” said Radomir Kračković, President of SMCG, during a conference organised on the occasion of the signing of the Protocol “Increasing the safety of media workers”.
“By signing the Protocol, the competent institutions and the media community have committed to working together to build a functional model for the protection of journalists’ safety. In the coming period, the state is expected to establish an institutional framework for its full implementation,” he added.
The Protocol is inspired by Persveilig, a Dutch initiative established in 2019. It is one of the first efforts in Europe to formalise cooperation between the Dutch journalists’ union NVJ, the Association of Editors in Chief, the Police and the Public Prosecution Service.
“I believe that today we are taking the first step toward an orderly, systemic approach to supporting and protecting journalists and the media – an approach that must, in the end, be effective and real, with the established mechanism reflecting the determination of the state of Montenegro to ensure that journalists are safe in their work and feel safe,” said Milorad Marković, Supreme State Prosecutor.
Since 2024, cases involving attacks on journalists have been handled as a priority by the State Prosecutor, a measure which has significantly improved the quality and speed of the proceedings.
But despite the progress, some journalists present at the conference still deplored a lack of support from both the State and newsrooms.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the agreement as a further step toward improving the safety of journalists and media workers in the country.
Source: EFJ
