Representatives of the Albanian negotiating structure are on a study visit to Montenegro, with the aim of exchanging experiences and practices regarding Chapter 27, as well as strengthening regional cooperation between Montenegro and Albania, the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development (MERS) announced.
As stated, representatives of the Albanian negotiating structure are visiting Montenegro, organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania, within the project "Support to Albania in the Environmental Negotiation Process", and with the support of MERS.
MERS said that during the first day of the visit, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about the results achieved and challenges in Chapter 27.
Acting Director General of the Director for International Cooperation and EU Funds at MERS, Trifun Savić, recalled that Albania will soon open negotiations in that chapter and step into a new, more demanding phase of the European Union (EU) accession process.
"Important tasks lie ahead of you - from harmonizing national legislation with the EU acquis, to strengthening administrative capacities and providing financial and technical resources for the implementation of environmental protection measures," said Savić.
According to him, Montenegro, as a country that opened Chapter 27 back in 2018, faced similar dilemmas - how to reconcile ambitious European requirements with limited resources, how to ensure cross-sectoral coordination, how to involve local communities, and how to make the implementation of measures sustainable.
"That is exactly what we want to share with you during this study visit - our experiences from the planning and reporting process, work on drafting key strategic documents, the functioning of interdepartmental working groups, challenges in financing measures in the areas of nature protection, waste, water and climate policy, as well as the concrete steps we have taken in communication with the European Commission," said Savić.
The Director General of the Directorate for European Integration at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania, Artemisia Duraku, thanked for the support during the study visit and emphasized its importance when it comes to closing Chapter 27.
The Director of the Center for Climate Change, Natural Resources and Energy at the University of Donja Gorica, Ivana Vojinović, presented an overview of the challenges and obstacles that Montenegro faced during negotiations with the EU regarding Chapter 27, as part of the accession process.
In her presentation, she reviewed the key progress made from 2013 to 2018, the process of preparing the screening report, the opening of Chapter 27, as well as the preparation of the negotiating position.
The statement states that Professor at the Faculty of Economics and President of the Montenegrin Pan-European Union, Gordana Đurović, presented the challenges in the negotiation process, pointed out the current state of Montenegro in the negotiation process and said that it is necessary to close 21 chapters within the year, which is a challenging task.
She presented the current outline of the negotiating structure and pointed out the financial challenges in Chapter 27.
"Also, during the study visit, on the first day, the challenges in negotiating in the sub-areas of air quality management and waste management were presented," the statement said.
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