The Joint Consultative Committee (JCO) of civil society between the European Union and Montenegro met today in Brussels, and the members of the committee particularly emphasized the importance of including civil society in the process of accession of Montenegro to the EU.
Representatives of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) spoke with Montenegrin civil society on the topic of the current moment in EU-Montenegro relations with reference to the latest Package of Enlargement Measures and the European Commission's Report on Montenegro, the reform program for Montenegro and the implementation of the new Plan of growth for the Western Balkans was announced by the Ministry of European Affairs.
Also, they discussed the Montenegrin plan for meeting the criteria for closing the negotiation chapters after IBAR and the review of the state of civil society in Montenegro, including social dialogue, as well as the "Barometer 26" platform and the inclusion of social partners and civil society as active agents.
The meeting was opened by the Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorčević, and the President of the EESC, Oliver Ropke.
"I am glad that this Committee welcomes the creation of the "Barometar 26" platform, whose intention is to involve the whole society so that Montenegro completes all obligations from the negotiation process and becomes the next member of the EU by 2028," said Gorčević.
The minister referred to everything that the current government managed to achieve in the past year when it comes to the negotiation process, but also to present an ambitious plan for Montenegro to complete negotiations with the EU by the end of 2026. She also recalled the European Commission's Report on Montenegro and the Reform Agenda for the Growth Plan, which was adopted in September.
"I especially want to highlight several key priorities that will guide our efforts in the coming period. First of all, we will continue our work on strengthening our institutions, improving judicial independence and fighting corruption. Second, sustainable economic development remains a priority for Montenegro. Thirdly, the ability of our government to fulfill the obligations of EU membership depends on the strength of our administrative structures", said Gorčević.
She added that the Government recognized that building a strong and efficient public administration that can meet EU standards is a gradual but crucial process that requires not only reforms, but also permanent investments in human and technical resources.
EESC President Ropke, on the occasion of the Commission's recent report on Montenegro, said that as the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, he firmly believes that Montenegro's progress represents an example of the transformative power of true reforms and cooperation.
"Without formal obstacles to closing the negotiation chapters, Montenegro not only advances towards EU membership, but also sets a strong example for the entire region. The commitment of its Government, civil society and social partners makes it a real success story of EU enlargement. Together, we will ensure that enlargement remains a priority on the EU agenda," said Ropke.
Gordana Đurović, co-chair from the Montenegrin side, assessed that the optimism we share with our European partners is based on the visible results of Montenegro during the previous year, such as IBAR, which further opened up space for continuing work towards the temporary closure of other negotiation chapters and accession of Montenegro to SEPA. She expressed the hope that the process will continue with the same dynamics and pointed out that the European agenda should be a factor in strengthening social cohesion, and expressed the importance of the unity of all political actors in that direction and the inclusion of civil society in this key, final phase of the process of integration of Montenegro into the Union. .
Member of the EESC and co-chair from the EU side, Decebal-Stefanita Padure, pointed out that Montenegro is on the right track and that it is recognized as a leader of the enlargement policy, which will be the first next member of the EU.
He referred to the successes of Montenegro in the past year, especially the obtaining of the IBAR, which removed the obstacles to the temporary closure of the chapter. He emphasized that Montenegro is a success story that represents a positive example for enlargement policy and a particularly good example for other countries in the region that aspire to EU membership. He welcomed Montenegro's accession to SEPA, which directly contributes to the economy and citizens. He called on the Government to include representatives of the civil sector and social partners in monitoring the implementation of the Reform Agenda, as well as to strengthen the essential dialogue of social partners in the country.
Within the framework of the meeting, the members of the ZKO welcomed the results of Montenegro in the context of meeting the temporary benchmarks in chapters 23 and 24 and emphasized the importance of obtaining the final benchmarks in those chapters. "They expressed satisfaction with the support of the European partners and the ambitious decision of the Montenegrin administration to make additional efforts and temporarily close the remaining negotiation chapters by the end of 2026, on the condition that the Montenegrin government and all political actors achieve visible results in that field. They indicated that the most important thing is that Montenegro "Gora has political maturity, consensus and inter-party and broader social dialogue on issues of key national interest, such as reforms in the context of EU membership," the announcement reads.
ZKO called for the need for further harmonization of electoral legislation and a careful review of changes to legal solutions on citizenship, including the issue of dual citizenship, "which should be based on socio-political consensus". The members of ZKO particularly emphasized the importance of including civil society in the process of accession of Montenegro to the EU, recalling the fact that social partners and civil society organizations are a bridge between citizens and institutions.
At the end of the meeting, the members of ZKO adopted a joint Declaration, which will be distributed to the Montenegrin authorities and all relevant EU institutions.
ZKO is a civil society platform established between the EESC and Montenegrin civil society. The first meeting was on October 2, 2012. This joint body enables civil society organizations from both sides to monitor the country's accession negotiations. It is also a platform for discussing issues of common interest and informing the public about upcoming challenges during the accession period, the announcement reminds.
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