The European Parliament (EP) supports the principle of progress in the process of accession to the European Union (EU) in accordance with the individual merits of the states, said the head of the EP Delegation for relations with Montenegro, David Martin.
The EP delegation was received by the Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin, who pointed out that Montenegro remains firmly on the course of integration into the community of modern European societies, and sees the EU as a key economic, political and value framework for the overall development and prosperity of society.
According to him, Montenegro persisted on this course in a very complex geopolitical context and a challenging domestic political environment.
"In the first year of the mandate, the Government provided a socio-economic environment that resulted in the successful completion of the NATO accession process, visible progress in reforms from the European agenda and one of the highest economic growth rates in Europe, at 4,2 percent," he said. Pazin.
He emphasized that the constant construction and strengthening of the rule of law system is the key and prerequisite for overall social and economic progress.
"He expressed, in this sense, the expectation that during the next year, the conditions will be created for Montenegro to obtain benchmarks for closing the negotiations in chapters 23 and 24," the Government's announcement says.
Presenting the key results in this area, Pažin said that in the first nine months of this year, investigations were conducted against 63 persons and indictments were brought against 43 persons for the criminal offense of organized crime, as well as that 24 persons were the subject of investigations for money laundering.
Regarding the fight against corruption, he stated that 12 cases were filed against 54 individuals and 12 legal entities.
Martin announced that the EP fully supports the principle of progress in the EU accession process in accordance with the individual merits of the states, with the assessment that Montenegro is far ahead of other countries in this process.
"He welcomed the particularly positive international role of Montenegro, which is reflected in the full compliance of Montenegrin foreign policy with the common foreign and security policy of the EU," the statement said.
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