The President of the European Parliament, Jerži Buzek, hopes that a decision will be made in the fall for Podgorica to start accession negotiations with the European Union (EU).
"You are a candidate country and negotiations are ahead of you. We hope that it will be after the publication of the Progress Report for this year, and the way will be open for joining, because Montenegro has a place in the EU", said Buzek at a press conference in the European Parliament in Brussels, after a meeting with the Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Lukšić.
Buzek said that everything that has been done is very important, but what comes next is more important. By far the most important, Buzek pointed out, is judicial reform.
"The prime minister is very aware of all the problems and is ready to move forward with the necessary reforms. I feel it and I see it," said Buzek.
He emphasized the importance of the fight against corruption and organized crime, changes in the judicial system, as well as membership in the World Trade Organization, which, he added, is also important for regional cooperation.
He is very encouraged by the will and focus of Lukšić, with whom he talks about reforms. This, he claims, reminded him of the time when his country was on the road that Montenegro is now on, and the prime minister himself was on the road when he was the president of the Polish government.
"And the problems were similar, namely the fight against corruption, the great improvement of the judiciary, constant reforms," said Buzek.
Montenegro will reach everything
Lukšić emphasized that the Government has made very important decisions on the decriminalization of defamation, which he characterized as an important step forward for the media. He stated that he sees the reforms that must be implemented in Montenegro as a "joint venture with the EU".
"I emphasized that, when the EU decides to open negotiations, we have to include all segments of society," Lukšić said
When asked whether Montenegro will have enough time to overcome such a large number of tasks, Lukšić said that he knows the deadlines and that he is convinced that they will arrive.
The Prime Minister stated that the presentation of the amendments of the Ministry of Justice related to the laws on the judicial council, prosecutors, in order to ensure the transparency and efficiency of the judiciary, will follow.
He also informed Buzek about Montenegro's efforts to advance in anti-discrimination, and through the new law on the ombudsman.
"I pointed out that when the EU decides to open negotiations, we have to include all segments of society," said Lukšić, adding that Montenegro is a small country with a small population, which must use the resources of everyone who could help.
The Montenegrin Prime Minister is at the EU and NATO headquarters primarily because of the American initiative, the institute of the German Marshall Fund, which is an annual conference in Brussels that gathers world leaders, strategists and experts to discuss the most important political, economic and defense issues.
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