Montenegro has a place in the European Union (EU), announced Martijn Elgersma, the newly elected ambassador of the Netherlands to Montenegro on a non-resident basis.
The Ministry of European Affairs (MEP) announced that the chief negotiator, Predrag Zenović, held a meeting with Elgersma.
The announcement states that the new ambassador of the Netherlands expressed his satisfaction with the successes achieved by Montenegro in the negotiation process so far.
"The ambassador congratulated Montenegro on the positive IBAR report and the European Commission Report for 2024, stressing the importance of those results for further progress. He particularly emphasized the Netherlands' willingness to continue providing support to Montenegro in key areas of reform. He also expressed the hope that In the coming year, the consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will be opened in Podgorica, which will further strengthen bilateral relations," the announcement reads.
During the meeting, Zenović emphasized Montenegro's commitment to reforms that lead to the fulfillment of the strategic goal - membership in the EU.
"With continuous transparency and cooperation with our domestic and international partners, Montenegro sets an example for other countries of the Western Balkans," Zenović said.
The announcement also states that Elgersma emphasized the Netherlands' support for Montenegro on its path to EU membership.
It is also stated that Zenović informed Elgersma of plans to close four negotiation chapters by the end of 2024, chapter 7 - Intellectual property law, 10 - Information society and media, 20 - Entrepreneurship and industrial policy, as well as chapter 31 - Foreign, security and defense policy.
"Our plan is to close the chapters on free movement of capital and public procurement at the beginning of 2025, while by the end of the same year the final benchmarks could be met in chapters: 3 - Right to establish a company and freedom to provide services, 6 - Commercial law, 11 - Agriculture and rural development and 13 - Fishing," Zenović added, stressing that there remains a special focus on the rule of law and the fight against corruption and organized crime.
The MEP said that Montenegro, with the support of its European partners, continues to make significant progress on the path to EU membership, firmly believing in the future of the common European family.
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