Chapters 1 and 2 open the European market for Montenegro, where domestic products will be competitive

Chapters 1 and 2, which relate to the free movement of goods and workers, open up a huge European market for Montenegro, where domestic products will be competitive, and Montenegrin citizens will be able to exercise all rights based on labor without the possibility of discrimination based on citizenship.

The head of the negotiating working group for Chapter 1, Dragan Vukčević, said that this chapter covers all goods - industrial and agricultural.

"Free movement of goods, in simple terms, means access to the common market of the European Union (EU). In other words, whatever we produce here, if we meet the conditions from Chapter 1, we can then place it on the common market of the EU without additional tariffs or any other obstacles," Vukčević said in an interview with the Mina-business agency.

He explained that Montenegro, which has a population of around 620, is facing a market of 500 million people.

"Our general economic policy is that we need to diversify our economy, join other member states and have some of the economic growth in industrial production, so this chapter is crucial in that part of the story," said Vukčević.

He claims that this chapter offers a chance.

"It does not give anything away, but it gives the opportunity to develop that industrial part of Montenegro that is sorely lacking today, through structured development, which we are counting on when it comes to domestic and foreign direct investments," said Vukčević.

Regarding Chapter 1, Montenegro had four benchmarks for temporary closure, some of which should be closed by mid-June.

"At the moment, we have an intensive dialogue with the Commission regarding the report on the fulfillment of the benchmarks and the joint position, so I expect good news on this issue very soon," said Vukčević.

The head of the negotiating working group for Chapter 2, Ivana Šućur, said that the freedom of movement of workers is one of the four fundamental freedoms within the EU.

"Therefore, the significance of this chapter is extremely important and essentially represents the European idea of ​​creating the EU, which was based on the realization of these four freedoms," said Šućur in an interview with the Mina-business agency.

Montenegro is scheduled to close Chapter 2 on Monday, at the Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg.

Speaking about the benefits, she stated that citizens of Montenegro will be able to exercise the same rights to employment and to exercise all rights based on work within each member state, without the possibility of discrimination based on citizenship.

"This specifically means exercising the right to pension and disability insurance, health insurance and coordination of social benefits," explained Šućur.

She stated that Montenegro had fulfilled all formal criteria that were defined through the common negotiating position in 2017.

"We have not fulfilled it now. We fulfilled all the requirements in February. However, due to the complexity of this chapter, our negotiating position has been under consideration in the EU Council for two months and we expect the negotiations under this chapter to be concluded very soon," said Šućur.

According to her, in addition to Montenegrin citizens living and working in Montenegro, Montenegrin citizens who already work and reside in another member state will also benefit from the closing of this chapter and the implementation of the policy.

"We are working hard because we are aware of the importance this chapter will have on our citizens. So we expect it to close very soon and after that we are dedicated to the work and many institutions and many civil servants are involved in order to meet all the criteria," said Šućur.

Speaking about the benefits for citizens, companies and the state through Chapter 1, Vukčević announced that at the moment we have 15 products from Montenegro that have been exported to the EU common market for many years and comply with all directives and regulations.

"By adopting, or rather adopting, these directives and regulations, their work and access will be much easier. We are also creating incentives for opening new production capacities that would be based on important requirements that are now harmonized in our legislation, and at the same time their product would be acceptable on the EU common market. This brings a degree of competitiveness compared to countries that are not EU members," claims Vukčević.

Another important benefit, he stated, is that all products offered on our market are safe.

"That's perhaps one of the most important things. So, all products that are properly labeled and placed in accordance with our legislation are safe to use," said Vukčević.

He believes that a system should be created and dedicated to training and contact with the real market, citizens and the economy.

"This is something that is imperative in this short period until EU entry," added Vukčević.

When it comes to benefits through Chapter 2, Šućur stated that citizens will be given access to all job positions that are available within the EU.

"We are preparing the Employment Service to perform the role of EURES, that is, they will be the contact point that will exchange data with other member states. So that Montenegrin citizens will have an overview of all job vacancies in the Union at any time," said Šućur.

She said that at the moment we have a very significant Montenegrin diaspora, but that the question is what percentage of our people working in the EU have and exercise their rights based on work, in the percentage that will be when Montenegro becomes a member.

"We have made changes to our legislation that have the effect of reciprocity. So that every Montenegrin citizen, when they find employment in another member state, has the same treatment as citizens of EU member states. So, there will be no discrimination based on citizenship," said Šućur.

She added that mobility will also be expressed, and there will be opportunities for advancement, exchange of experiences, and the like.

According to her, the economy will also benefit, because foreign investments will be more present in Montenegro, as the environment will be in line with European standards.

"I think that Montenegro will be extremely competitive and that European experts will choose Montenegro to live there, but by then Montenegro must achieve that level of alignment with European standards in terms of salaries, ensuring working conditions and protecting workers' rights," said Šućur.

She believes that Montenegro, especially through the latest reforms of labor legislation, which have led to greater transparency of wages and improved protection of workers' rights and the balance between the private and business environment, is creating an environment in which workers are protected.

"It's not just up to the state administration to create the entire framework. We also need to have feedback from citizens, so that young people get a little moving, so that they start to trust the state administration, which is there for them, and not to identify everything with politics," said Šućur.

She particularly emphasized the importance of European funds, urging citizens to use them to improve their businesses, capacities and workers' skills.

When asked how entering a market of 500 million people will affect prices and product selection, Vukčević replied that Montenegro has not yet developed its own production, which is why it is an import market.

"Our supply to Europe is not sufficient and we should increase it. As for the supply to consumers, product imports will remain the same, as will product prices," said Vukčević.

He encouraged a range of producers from Montenegro to get involved and find their own interest in that profit.

"We still benefit from European integration today. So I think that our citizens should be thinking these days about how to fit into that system, rather than whether that system is good, bad, or evil," Vukčević concluded.

The text was created as part of the "EU Reality Check" project, implemented by the MINA agency. The project is supported through the broader "MedIA-Lit" program led by the Center for Civic Education (CCE) in partnership with the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HCHRS), the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in North Macedonia (MHC), the Tirana Center for Journalistic Excellence (TCJE) from Albania and the Atlantic Initiative (AI) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with financial support from the European Union and co-financing from the Ministry for Regional Development, Investments and Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of Montenegro.

The content is the sole responsibility of MINA and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, nor of CCE and project partners.