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European Western Balkans
Politics

Government of Montenegro recepient of the annual EWB Award

Photo: Government of Montenegro

BRUSSELS – European Western Balkans portal has presented its annual Award for the Contribution to the European Integration of the Region to the 44th Government of Montenegro.

The Award is presented to the Government of Montenegro for “seizing the political momentum in the EU enlargement process and achieving closing the first negotiation chapters after seven years”.

“The Government’s dedication to the reform process, supported by Parliament, has enabled Montenegro to obtain the closing benchmarks in the Rule of Law, thereby enhancing its prospects for EU membership in the foreseeable future”, reads the justification of the Award.

Upon receiving the Award, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, expressed his gratitude and added that it is an award for the entire society.

He stated that, during Montenegro’s 12-year-long path toward the EU, there has been more talk than action.

“We have turned the wheel in the opposite direction and accustomed the public to results. In the past, nothing was being done, and no one was being heard. Now that we are delivering concrete results, the pressure is increasing, but we are ready to accelerate the pace of reforms,” said the Prime Minister.

Photo: Government of Montenegro

The Editor-in-Chief of the European Western Balkans portal, Nemanja Todorović Štiplija, stated that this is the first time the award has been given to a government from the Western Balkans, as no country had made significant progress before.

He assessed that Montenegro, in the last two years, after a period of prolonged stagnation, managed to reclaim the ‘title’ of the frontrunner in the region’s European integration process.

“I hope this award will serve as an additional incentive for the Government of Montenegro to continue the initiated reforms and fulfil the necessary membership criteria as soon as possible. I believe Montenegro’s progress on the European path will motivate the rest of the region to move forward,” Štiplija said.

Every year, European Western Balkans awards individuals and organizations for their contribution to the European integration of the region. The award was established in 2019, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the portal. The recipients of the EWB Award so far have been former Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov (2019), former Member of the European Parliament, and current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon (2020), Regional Cooperation Council (2021), Member of the European Parliament Terry Reintke (2022), and Ministers for Europe in the governments of France and Germany, Laurence Boone and Anna Lührmann (2023).

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