The German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration on Montenegro (MFAEI) hosted this weekend in Bečići a two day regional workshop entitled “Political Criteria and Chapters 23 and 24.”
The participants were representatives of state institutions from the countries of the region in charge of coordinating the EU accession process, as well as the representatives of the GIZ and the EU Delegation to Montenegro.
The event was launched by GIZ’s Open Regional Funds for the South-East Europe manager Alexandra Hilbig, who discussed GIZ’s support to the SEE region’s countries in their EU accession bids, especially in the area of developing administrative capacities and meeting EU membership criteria.
The gathering was an opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences as regards coordination of the accession process, with an emphasis on the new approach which places the rule of law chapters in the centre of the negotiation process. Ministry representatives informed their regional peers about the MFAEI’s role in coordinating the negotiation process. They also presented their experiences in organising the negotiations and negotiating on Chapters 23 and 24, focusing on the drafting and implementation of action plans in these areas.
In his address to the participants, State Secretary for European Integration and Chief Negotiator Aleksandar Andrija Pejović underlined the importance of regional cooperation in the process of European integration and in that respect conveyed Montenegro’s readiness, as the country that has made the most progress in the EU accession process thus far, to share its negotiation experiences with other countries in the region.
The participants commended the hosting of the event and welcomed the opportunity to exchange opinions and lessons learned in the process of European integration.
The event reiterated the importance of regional cooperation in European integration by completing the projects on the ground and initiating new ones.