Prime Minister, Duško Marković, assessed yesterday’s visit to Brussels and talks with the EU high-ranking officials as successful. He noted that Montenegro’s EU perspective was quite certain, announcing that it [EU] has been preparing a valuable economic package worth tens of billions of euro for the WB countries.
“Montenegro’s European perspective is quite certain. Strong messages were sent about this perspective, as well as about the expectations that Montenegro will strongly continue its European integration, that it will respond to current challenges and needs in that process, primarily in the field of strengthening the rule of law, which includes further judicial reform, battle against crime and corruption and, of course, the issue of media freedoms,” PM Marković told TV Montenegro at the end of his visit.
Mr Marković also talked with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, about the next, most challenging phase of accession negotiations: “President Michel congratulated Montenegro on the opening of the last negotiation chapter, noting that our country is a leader in the accession process.”
During the meeting with the president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, the Prime Minister emphasized that Montenegro appreciated the fact that the EP was ready to monitor the upcoming elections.
Mr Marković and Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, Josep Borrell, underlined the strategic importance that our region has had for the EU. Resolving open issues in the WB is a guarantee of its long-term economic development and stability, and a precondition for dynamic integration into the Union. During this meeting, both sides noted Montenegro’s extraordinary progress on the path to the EU.
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Olivér Várhelyi, welcomed the decision of our country to accept the new methodology of negotiations. “It is now crucial to further strengthen the results in Chapters 23 and 24, with the aim of meeting the provisional and final criteria. It was noted that the WB investment plan, which the EU is preparing now for fall, will be of great importance for the development of the region and the recovery of the economy from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic,” the govt stated.
On the announced EU’s economic package, PM Marković said: “It will be worth tens of billions of euros. Montenegro is invited to offer its projects referring to infrastructure, energy, transport, digital economy and renewable energy sources. And as we do have such projects on a single investment list, we can offer them quickly to the EC.”
