Two more chapters closed, Croatia blocks third

Montenegro closed two more negotiation chapters with the European Union yesterday in Brussels at the Intergovernmental Conference, while the third, which relates to transport policy, was blocked by Croatia.

With chapters 8 - Competition and 29 - Customs Union closed yesterday, Montenegro's total score in the "European race" is 18 closed chapters, out of a total of 33, all of which have been opened.

Chapter 14 (Transport Policy) was also ready for closure, but Croatia did not receive the green light, as it raised the issue of cabotage, i.e. the right of carriers from one country to carry out transport within another country.

Croatia, as "Vijesti" wrote on Friday, has reservations because the prices of Montenegrin carriers are significantly lower than Croatian ones. This means that carriers in Croatia fear that Montenegrin companies, if they have lower prices, could take over some of their business in their market.

A source from "Vijesti" said that Croatia also finds the aerial maps controversial, because it believes that their presentation could weaken Croatia's position in the future demarcation with Montenegro at Prevlaka.

Although the air traffic control boundary is not considered a state or maritime border, Croatia probably wants to avoid such a document becoming a supporting argument for Montenegro in future negotiations or proceedings before an international court.

Another source in "Vijesti" states that Croatia wants to use these technical issues to put additional pressure on Montenegro in order to speed up the resolution of bilateral disputes, which is why it previously blocked Chapter 31 - Foreign, Security and Defense Policy for Montenegro. Croatia blocked Chapter 31 at the end of last year, after the adoption of the Resolution on Jasenovac in the Montenegrin parliament. In order to unblock the chapter, Zagreb is seeking to resolve contentious bilateral issues, including the payment of compensation to the prisoners from Morinje, resolving the issue of missing persons, ownership of the ship "Jadran", changing the name of the pool in Kotor...

WITH MONTENEGRO, THE CLOSING OF CHAPTERS IS A FAMOUS PROCESS THAT IS NEARING THE END

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos She said that with Montenegro, closing the chapter is already a "known process" that is nearing its end.

Responding to questions from journalists, she said that there will never be a question of creating a second-tier membership, and that it is not true that Montenegro, if it does not complete the process (of closing the chapter) by the end of the year, cannot become a member in 2028.

"It will be crucial how quickly the ratification process proceeds in all member states," she said.

She said that the goal of the European Commission, and the hope of the member states and candidate countries, is full membership in the European Union, with full responsibilities and the same rights.

Irish Minister for European Affairs Tomas Bern He said that much of the current debate about different forms of membership actually stems from frustration that the (enlargement) process is taking too long.

"My response to that is that we need to push the process forward as quickly as possible, which is what we are doing at the technical level, in order to create momentum at the political level," he said.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic He said that, if you look at the numbers alone, Montenegro has closed 18 chapters, with 15 more remaining.

"However, all 15 chapters are at a readiness level of more than 90 percent. So, it's not a matter of starting now and having to close all 15 by the end of this year," he said, adding that they have already sent the documentation to the European Commission.

Chapter 8 concerns competition policy and state aid control – areas that ensure that all market participants operate under equal rules and that practices that distort fair market competition are prevented. This, as explained by the Ministry of European Affairs, means that all companies should have equal conditions for doing business and win in the market with quality, innovation and good ideas.

"Bobotov Kuk, we are getting closer and closer to you," Kos said, alluding to her promise to climb that peak of Durmitor when Montenegro joins the EU.

Chapter 29 refers to the Customs Union, which is a single customs territory of the EU member states in which all internal trade and movement of goods between member states is carried out without customs formalities, i.e. without customs supervision of goods, and without the collection of customs duties. The Customs Union was established on 1 April 1968.

"Montenegro will become part of the internal market on the date of its accession to the EU, which will facilitate the export of domestic products to a market with 500 million consumers. The fact that there will be no customs duties means that Montenegrin citizens will be able to buy higher quality products from any EU member state at significantly lower prices than today," the EU4ME website states.