Gorčević: Montenegro is fully committed to closing all chapters during the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU

Montenegro is fully committed to closing all negotiation chapters during the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), said Minister of European Affairs (MEP), Maida Gorčević.

As announced by the MEP, she discussed with the Irish Minister for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne, the situation and plans of Montenegro in the final phase of the EU accession process and informed him of the latest achievements within the negotiation process.

"Montenegro is fully committed to closing all negotiation chapters during the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of next year," said Gorčević.

She emphasized that this is the main strategic and reform goal of Montenegro and that she believes that, with the partner support of member states like Ireland, the expectations of citizens can be met.

Gorčević said that the rule of law is the foundation of a stable and functional state system, but also the area in which the citizens of Montenegro have the greatest expectations from European integration.

The MEP statement states that a special focus of the meeting was on the fact that Ireland will preside over the Council of the EU in a period that Montenegro sees as crucial for closing the largest number of negotiation chapters and finalizing the technical part of the process.

"The Irish presidency is precisely the opportunity that Montenegro intends to make the most of, with the clear goal of closing all chapters by the end of next year and being ready for the final evaluation by the European Commission," said Gorčević.

Byrne, as stated by the MEP, welcomed Montenegro's efforts so far and said that Ireland, as a traditionally strong advocate of the EU enlargement policy, remains a strong partner of the Western Balkans, and especially Montenegro, on its European path.

He assessed that the upcoming period of one and a half years will be extremely challenging, but also of crucial importance for achieving the strategic goal - full membership in the EU.

Byrne said that Montenegro can count on all necessary technical and political support from Ireland.

He pointed to the concrete benefits of membership – from freedom of movement and access to the single market, to increased foreign investment.

Byrne highlighted the impact of membership on improving standards in areas such as human rights protection, environmental protection, peace and stability, which, he said, are of exceptional value to every member state.