Improving cooperation with the Mission of Montenegro to the European Union (EU), in the context of the upcoming implementation of Podgorica's obligations on the path to that community, was the goal of the recent visit of the Minister without Portfolio Milutin Butorović to that country's diplomatic mission.
This was told to "Vijesti" yesterday by Butorović's office, answering the question about the purpose of the three-day official visit of the minister in charge of relations with the Parliament to the Mission in Brussels.
He was in that city from March 9 to 12, and met, as the newspaper was told, with the Head of Mission, Ambassador Peter Marković, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Montenegro in Belgium and Luxembourg Nebojša Čagorović (both meetings were on March 10), and with members of the Mission responsible for “coordinating the negotiation process, as well as for the negotiation chapters that are in focus” (March 11).
"Cooperation between the legislative and executive branches is one of the key prerequisites for the realization of Montenegro's main foreign policy priority - EU membership by 2028. The Minister presented his work methods to the representatives of the Mission, and discussed improving cooperation with the Mission in light of the upcoming fulfillment of obligations from the Reform Agenda, as well as the European agenda in general, which was also the goal of the visit. He expressed his belief that institutional stability and the focus of all social actors on fulfilling reforms are a guarantee of the successful completion of the negotiation process with the EU," Butorović's office stated.
However, they did not answer "Vijesti"'s question - whether it is customary to visit "one's" ambassador, or "one's" embassy.
The cabinet also stated that they do not have information about the costs of the trip to Brussels, adding that the newspaper should contact the General Secretariat of the Government (GSV) about this. "Vijesti" has done so and is awaiting answers from the GSV.
The delegation accompanying Butorović on an unusual official trip included the Secretary General of the Government Dragoljub Nikolic and his deputy Irena Vućić Popović.
The proposed platform for the Minister's visit to the Mission in Brussels states that Butorović will brief the representatives of that diplomatic mission on "the importance of the Government's continued work on proposing laws that are a prerequisite for all reforms in Montenegro, so that Montenegro becomes a full member of the EU by 2028."
Butorović, an official of the ruling Europe Now Movement (PES), was elected minister at the end of July last year, during a government reshuffle. Milojko Spajić (PES). Until then (and since November 2023) he was the secretary of the PES parliamentary group.
Butorović’s biography, available on the government website, states that he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Montenegro in Podgorica, where he completed specialist studies in the field of civil law. It states that he began his professional career as an intern in a law firm in Nikšić, “where he gained significant experience in the field of civil law.” It adds that he also gained experience while working in the public bailiff’s office, where, as it says, he completed a professional training program.
The biography states that during 2017, the minister served as executive director in companies in Podgorica, “where he was responsible for legal affairs and the legality of work”. Since 2022, he has served as head of legal services and general affairs at AD “Tehno baza” in Nikšić, where he was responsible for “organizing the work of employees and coordinating the company's legal activities”. He was also, the biography states, the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Sutjeska Football Club, “where he managed the club's work and negotiated with football managers”.
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