BRUSSELS – Speaking to the representatives of EU member states today in Brussels, Montenegrin deputy prime minister and acting Minister of European Affairs Zoran Pažin announced that Montenegro expected the support of EU member states for reforms towards a successful ending negotiation process on the basis of the quality of reforms, as well as on the basis of the achieved trust and cooperation within NATO.
“In addition to the quality and good dynamics of our reforms, these expectations are also based on the fact that, by joining NATO and overcoming the recent serious security temptation, we have built strong ties of trust and solidarity with our European partners,” said Pažin.
He welcomed the renewed enthusiasm for the idea of a united Europe which was brought by the new EU Enlargement Strategy, affirming the principle of individual assessment of candidate countries’ progress.
Presenting the key results of the government’s policy, he pointed to the high rate of economic growth, which exceeded 4% over the past year and was far above the European average.
He also emphasised Montenegro’s ambition to reduce public debt below 60% of GDP by 2020, based on strong economic growth.
Pažin also pointed out that the current year represents a milestone for the strategic European path of Montenegro and the whole region, adding that Montenegro was ready to open all remaining negotiation chapters in 2018 and to focus on reforms that would lead to the final closure of the negotiation process.