On Wednesday, Montenegro received a positive Report on the assessment of the fulfillment of temporary benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 (IBAR).
Montenegro received a positive IBAR at the intergovernmental conference (IGC) of Montenegro and the European Union (EU) in Brussels, reports Vijesti.
At a press conference in Brussels, the European debtors announced that Montenegro has made significant progress and is ready for the final phase of accession to the European Union.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelji said that it is clear that enlargement is a top priority and that an important decision was made today.
“Today is a historic moment. I thank my Montenegrin colleagues for speeding up the process. Today we are witnessing the success of this work, achievements and Montenegro is moving forward towards membership in the EU, Varhelji said, adding that the Union is ready for expansion and that the final phase of negotiations with Montenegro.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Hadja Lahbib asserted that the achievements of Montenegro were recognized and that today’s event marks an important milestone on the country’s path towards full integration into the European Union.
“Montenegro is committed to its obligations. We expect it to continue its efforts to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, to continue the fight against corruption and organized crime. We are ready to move forward and the EU is ready to support you every step of the way,” she said.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said that from June 26, the EU integration process will never again be subordinated to party or other interests.
“Europe, thank you for your trust, thank you to all the member states, thank you to Croatia and Slovenia and our allies. We have regained the long-lost trust and that was one of the most important tasks,” said Spajić and continued: “I expect great work and commitment, new optimism , the new energy of the Government, and we hope that the Parliament will continue to push us towards the same goal”.
Answering journalists’ inquiries, he also pointed out that Montenegro is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional country with representatives of different peoples in the parliament who need to push some resolutions that are important for their political corps and the peoples or religions they belong to.
He said that there are over 40 resolutions in the procedure.
“We have momentum after the Resolution on Srebrenica…We entered the body of resolutions that divert us from some topics – both the economy and the rule of law. But by voting for the Resolution on Srebrenica, we somehow committed ourselves to condemning all the crimes committed in these areas,” he said.
He added that Montenegro will condemn the crimes in which it participated.
