The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration and a member of parliament from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Ivan Vuković, said that three chapters in negotiations with the European Union could be closed by the end of the year, not five as announced.
He made this statement at today's Committee meeting, where MPs are discussing Cluster 5 (Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion: Negotiation Dynamics with a Focus on Key Priorities and Challenges) and ongoing issues.
Vuković said that at the last session it was mentioned that five chapters should be closed by the end of the year, but that there is information that this number will still be three, due to the opposition of "one influential member".
"I hope it will be as we expected, but I invite the minister to respond to us as the most invited," he said, addressing the Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević.
She reminded that the Intergovernmental Conference is scheduled for December 16th.
"At the moment, there are discussions taking place on six negotiation chapters. This means that we have added one more that will be decided next year," she said.
Gorčević pointed out that, for the five chapters that will be the topic of the Intergovernmental Conference, every obligation of Montenegro has been fulfilled, and that it is a matter of political will.
"I believe that on the 16th we will have reason to celebrate a joint success of the entire administration - the Government and the Parliament. I believe that a lot has been done in 2025," she said.
Gorčević said that Montenegro has fulfilled all final benchmarks related to Chapter 11, which concerns agriculture.
"I am particularly pleased that the final benchmarks have been adopted through the adoption of the implementation plan for IACS and the paying agency, as well as the Law on the Implementation of Measures in Agricultural Policy, Rural Development Policy and Fisheries," she said.
She added that Montenegro is also ready to close Chapter 13, which concerns fisheries, and that all necessary laws have been adopted.
"When it comes to Chapter 22, it relates to regional policy and structural funds. MEPs are coordinating IPA funds very successfully, I have to commend my colleagues," she said.
She added that Chapter 33 (Financial and Budgetary Provisions) requires "acceleration over the next year."
"We have no easy tasks ahead of us. The fact that, out of five, two chapters are internally ready is encouraging," she explained.
Vuković pointed out that, as far as he knows, the controversial chapters are 11 (Agriculture and Rural Development) and 13 (Fisheries), which are ready to be closed, but there is no will from all 27 member states.
"I heard that this was motivated by an insufficiently convincing reason so that Montenegro does not step too far ahead of other candidate countries from the region. I understood that there was some alleged plan to wait until the first quarter of next year, or the beginning of the Cypriot presidency," he said.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Andrija Delić recalled that Chapter 11 was opened in 2016.
New Serbian Democracy (NSD) MP Miliac Rondović said that "Montenegro is the only country with a coastline that has destroyed a fish processing factory."
"We are faced with the implementation of the IPARD 3 program, the provision of more resources, but also the accelerated implementation of the Action Plan for harmonization with the EU acquis in the field of agriculture and rural development. We are also waiting for the finalization of the vineyard register," she said.
Aleksandra Despotović (DPS) pointed out that the budget for agriculture has been reduced,
"What about the Land Law? What will we do with the damage caused by the Forest Law?" she asked.
"How did you solve the problem of fishermen? They complained about their position. Did you form a working group... What did you do about fuel excise duties? What did you do about fishing ports? What did you do about the age of ships, landing infrastructure... Don't forget that this is not a closure, but a temporary closure of a chapter," she added.
Director of the Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs Administration Vladimir Đaković pointed out that "negotiations on food safety are ongoing."
He added that a phytosanitary laboratory is being built at the Biotechnical Faculty, and that the number of veterinary and phytosanitary inspectors will be doubled.
Delić said that there is enormous devastation of forests, and that this problem must be solved.
Mihailo Anđušić (DPS) pointed out that Agriculture Minister Vladimir Joković was not present at the committee today, and that he was "commenting much more on other topics" in the media.
Miloš Pižurica, a member of parliament from the Europe Now Movement (PES), said that this government received the best reports, but that he did not want to minimize the opposition's contribution.
"I find it strange that in all this you have forgotten that we have two arrested ministers of agriculture from the period of your rule and one secretary, while one is under criminal investigation. I cannot understand why you have not noticed," he said.
Andjušić said that "he could not have predicted, let alone predicted, that a minister would be arrested."
"Two things you are doing wrong. One is - for everything bad you are doing, there is an argument that someone did it before you, and the other bad thing is that the government before 2020, which was perhaps removed for that reason, did it three or five times worse," he said.
Pižurica noted that "he appreciates the opposition's contribution."
"From the position of the authorities, it should slowly stop being an alibi as it was done before. You can see my position on everything that comes as a legal solution from the Ministry of Agriculture by my vote in the Parliament. Why did I mention the period of ministers before 2020? Because I can't believe what you're saying, if I know what you've been doing," he said.
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