Ivanovic: The goal is to complete the work on closing negotiation chapters by September

Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović said that the executive branch aims to complete all work related to closing the remaining chapters on the path to membership in the European Union by September, so that the European Commission can implement control mechanisms and the remaining part of the work can be completed by the end of the year, by which time the chapters are planned to be closed.

He said that there is a possibility that there will be safeguard mechanisms in the accession agreement with Montenegro, but that this will in no way mean that Montenegro does not have the right to vote and that its membership is less important than any other member, RTCG reports.

Commenting on a guest appearance on TVCG on how realistic it is for Montenegro to close all chapters by the end of the year in order to become the first EU member state in 2028, Ivanovic said that this was not the Government's idea, but a project that was created in agreement with the Union.

"If we continue at the pace we have been working at for the past two years and four months, I see no technical reason why we will not be able to close the chapters by the end of this year. If you look at all the chapters we have closed in the past two years and the plan we have made by the end of this year, everything points to the plan being very achievable," said Ivanovic.

He emphasizes that this does not mean that the work is finished. He pointed out that there is daily communication between government departments, with institutions and European partners.

"The goal is to complete the work that we as Montenegro have to do by the end of the summer or the beginning of the fall, I would say September, which would allow all the control mechanisms of the European Commission to be implemented, so that we can complete the remaining part of the work in December," said Ivanovic.

Speaking about the upcoming intergovernmental conferences planned for May and June, he said that Chapters 2 (freedom of movement of workers) and 28 (consumer and health protection) are ready for closure.

"As far as I can tell, everything for Chapter 14 has been completed on our side and sent to the European Commission. So there will be at least two, and we'll see what the maximum number will be," said Ivanovic.

He pointed out that the Irish presidency will be challenging, since Montenegro should close all chapters during that period.

"I can say that both Cyprus and Ireland are extremely willing to help us in this process," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

In a functional sense, in his opinion, the withdrawal of the Democratic Party of Socialists from parliamentary committees cannot create a problem.

"Because if you don't have one, you can do without it. So the parliamentary committees can function without the minority members. Just because they are in the minority, they have no influence on the functioning of the committees and the plenum. However, on the other hand, I think it is an unfortunate decision. I think it is unfortunate primarily for the DPS, because they need to provide a multitude of arguments to justify that move. On the other hand, perhaps the goal of that move is to send a picture from Montenegro to the European Union about the alleged lack of political cohesion in the Parliament," said Ivanovic.

He added that, given that the parliamentary majority is stable and broad enough, it will not have problems in functioning and adopting legal solutions.

"There will of course be certain steps for which we will need a two-thirds majority, but it will be up to the opposition to explain why they will not support something that is clean and verified by the EC."

Ivanovic said that it is unacceptable for Montenegro to become a member without voting rights.

"I honestly think that, as far as Montenegro is concerned, there is no such fear, we are always ready to present it with arguments. But, to be honest, we have not felt, even in discussions with colleagues from member states, that there are any reservations towards Montenegro's full membership. Given that Montenegro's foreign policy is 100% aligned with EU policy, I do not see a realistic possibility of denying Montenegro full membership with all rights and obligations," he said.

However, he adds that there are other discussions that are realistic, which concern the future treaty on Montenegro's accession to the EU and certain protective mechanisms that will be incorporated into that treaty.

"It's nothing specific or spectacular and it's not something that only applies to Montenegro," he said.

He explained that these mechanisms exist in agreements with some member states in terms of transition periods and when and under what conditions they can use certain benefits.

"There will certainly be something like that for Montenegro, but this will in no way imply that Montenegro does not have the right to vote and that its membership is less important than any other member," said Ivanovic.