PODGORICA – The Government of Montenegro is strongly committed to continuing the European integration process in a more dynamic phase of negotiations with the European Union, which implies more intensive and faster closing of negotiation chapters, Montenegrin Prime Minister Duško Marković said at the session of the Collegium for Negotiations on the Accession of Montenegro to the EU, which he chaired, Government of Montenegro stated.
Referring to the current geopolitical circumstances, the Prime Minister said that they were complex but also he finds encouraging the victory of European forces in the elections in several EU member states. Montenegro’s commitment to Europe, PM Marković added, is not due to the membership, but the values it has inherited.
After Montenegro has temporarily closed Chapter 30 – External Relations, and opened negotiations in chapters 1 – Freedom of movement of goods and 22 – Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments, the Collegium provided support for further strong and intensive continuation of integration.
In this context, it was agreed to strengthen the activities to fulfill the last initial benchmark, as well as the final benchmarks in chapters that are close to achieving internal readiness for their closure.
The Collegium agreed to intensify activities aimed at meeting the last remaining initial benchmark in Chapter 8 – Competition.
When it comes to meeting the final benchmarks in nine chapters, the session discussed the dynamics of current and planned activities aimed at completing the legislative framework and establishing new institutions and further strengthening administrative capacities.
The session also discussed the rule of law. The Collegium exchanged views regarding further obligations towards the fulfillment of provisional benchmarks in judiciary, fight against corruption and organised crime, solving old cases of assaults on journalists, torture prevention, financial investigations and confiscation of assets acquired through criminal activity in the fight against corruption, organised crime, money laundering, human trafficking and narcotics trafficking.