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Montenegro does not plan to join Open Balkan initiative, focuses on Common Regional Market

Montenegro Flag; Photo: Pixabay / Sergei Petrov

PODGORICA – Montenegro focuses on Common Regional Market, an initiative within the Berlin Process, which is more suitable for the country than the Open Balkan initiative launched by Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, Montenegro’s Chief Negotiator Zorka Kordić told Vijesti.

Since Montenegro is the most advanced country in the region when it comes to EU integration process, the Government supports the implementation of regional initiatives exclusively as an instrument of a faster EU accession, Kordić said.

“Therefore, we primarily focus on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Common Regional Market under the auspices of the Berlin Process, as a political initiative that includes all Western Balkan countries,” she stressed.

Kordić stated that the Common Regional Market was more inclusive than the Open Balkan, because in addition to the four freedoms of movement, it also addresses digital infrastructure, innovation and a single investment policy according to EU standards.

“It is complementary to our aspiration for EU membership and provides a framework for the use of funds from the economic and investment plan for the Western Balkans worth nine billion euros. I also believe that early integration measures in the context of the revised methodology of EU accession can be better achieved through a common regional market, which is a more comprehensive initiative than Open Balkan”, she said.

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