Our goal for Montenegro to become a member of the European Union (EU) by 2028 is ambitious, but also very realistic, announced the country's president Jakov Milatović at a meeting with members of the Working Group of the EU Enlargement Council (COELA) who are on a two-day working visit to the country , it was announced from Milatović's Public Relations Office.
As stated in the announcement, in a conversation with diplomats from 27 member states, Milatović exchanged opinions on the progress that Montenegro has achieved in the negotiation process and further obligations aimed at completing the process and joining the EU.
He said that the European integration of Montenegro is a bigger story than the country itself, a light at the end of the tunnel and a positive signal for the countries of the region that the accession process is possible.
Milatović said that in the current geopolitical moment, the EU enlargement process is important for the security of the continent itself and that Montenegro should use the opportunity and the "open window" in Brussels, implement the necessary reforms and become the 28th member state of the Union.
He added that in this context, Montenegro has a comparative advantage, taking into account its size, the fact that it is a member of NATO, the most economically advanced, that it already uses the euro as a currency, harmonizes the common foreign and security policy with the EU, that it has opened negotiations in all chapters, closed three, and expects to close four more chapters by the end of the year.
Milatović called European integration "the main driver of reforms in the country", and said that the goal is to achieve true democracy with full political and institutional stability.
"He identified the rule of law, public administration reform and structural reforms in the economy as challenges. He pointed out that the quality of adopted laws does not follow the demanding dynamics of EU negotiations, and that the process of their adoption is often non-transparent and non-inclusive, which is why he used his constitutional authority and part returned to the Parliament for re-decision," the announcement states.
"I see today's meeting as a natural continuation of the intensive political dialogue with the EU at the highest level, which comes after my recent meeting with the newly elected President of the European Commission, Ms. Von der Leyen. This is an opportunity to repeat, from the position of the President of Montenegro, my maximum and unwavering commitment to the EU agenda and accession negotiations and an opportunity to once again express the expectation that during the mandate of the newly formed EC, the enlargement policy, as the most successful EU policy, will remain at the top of the agenda. Milatovic said.
"Representatives of the EU member states assessed that receiving a positive IBAR and the possibility of closing new negotiation chapters by the end of the year is an important step for Montenegro, which they see as a model for other candidate countries in the accession process. They expressed full support for the acceleration of reforms so that our the country fulfilled all obligations and became the next member of the EU, and pointed out that Montenegro can count on continued financial, technical and expert assistance along the way," the announcement concludes.
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