“We have made significant progress in harmonizing our legislation with the EU acquis. Montenegro adopted numerous reforms to improve the regulatory framework governing our internal market. These efforts are not only about compliance, they reflect our commitment to contribute to the overall stability and prosperity of the European continent. We recognize that a harmonized internal market is not just a bureaucratic requirement, but the basic path to economic growth, innovation and increased competitiveness for our country and the wider European community”, said chief negotiator Predrag Zenović in Brussels during the fifteenth meeting of the Subcommittee for the Internal Market and Competition between Montenegro and of the European Commission.
The meeting was chaired by the deputy head of the Unit for Montenegro and Serbia in the General Directorate for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Policy, Sindi van den Bugert. The European Commission praised Montenegro for the progress made in the rule of law and foundational chapters, which is key to unlocking the next phase of the negotiation process to move to the temporary closure of the chapter.
“Accession negotiations are based on merit and Montenegro has made a lot of efforts at the technical and political level to reach this important moment. It is important that Montenegro remains politically focused.” van den Bugert said. She emphasized the importance of adopting a realistic approach to temporarily closing chapters. She pointed out that “While ambition is welcome and important, there must be a certain level of realism, some chapters are complicated to close in a short period of time. The existing timeline for alignment with the EU acquis in the various chapters will need to be updated to match the plans to close the chapters”.
The Commission congratulated Montenegro on the successful Leaders’ Summit in Kotor and said that Montenegro can be an example to the region when it comes to accelerating EU reforms and seizing opportunities for early EU accession. Emphasis was placed on the need for progress in the field of state aid and competition, especially on cases within the final benchmark and on the appropriate application of public procurement rules for the good functioning of the internal market and the creation of equal conditions for business. At the Subcommittee meeting, the progress achieved since last year’s Subcommittee meeting in the area of establishment of companies and provision of services, capital movements, public procurement, commercial law, intellectual property rights, competition, financial services and consumer and health protection was discussed. Representatives of Montenegrin institutions presented the achieved results, ongoing activities and planned measures and exchanged opinions with colleagues from the European Commission on future challenges, the best and most effective solutions in terms of implementing the acquis and strengthening administrative capacities in these areas.
Chief negotiator Zenović said that in the previous period, significant results were achieved in all negotiation chapters that are the subject of this Subcommittee, which were translated into clear benefits for citizens and businesses, opening the perspective of complete integration of Montenegro in the area of the internal market.
He emphasized that, within Chapter 3 – Right of establishment and freedom to provide services, Montenegro is intensively working on the harmonization and implementation of the EU acquis in the field of competitiveness and innovation, while in Chapter 5 – Public Procurement, Montenegro adopted the Law on Amendments to the Law on public procurements, passed comprehensive by-laws and continuously conducts training on the topic of regulations and the use of the electronic system of public procurements.
The chief negotiator said that, when it comes to Chapter 6 – Commercial Law, in the period since the previous Subcommittee, the Law on Business Companies and the Draft Law on the Registration of Business and Other Entities, which are harmonized with the EU acquis, have been drafted.
He pointed out that within the framework of Chapter 7 – Intellectual Property Law, the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Copyright and Related Rights was prepared, which made progress in the final benchmarks.
“Montenegro wants to cooperate with the EC through its various modalities and instruments, the Growth Plan is one of the most prominent and we look forward to seeing its effects, which is the promotion of convergence and the strengthening of our economy. On the other hand, our pre-application for SEPA could bring other tangible results for the citizens of Montenegro in this area.” – added Zenović.
V.D. Director General of the Directorate for International Cooperation, European Integration and Implementation of EU Funds, Ivona Savićević, said that the internal market is one of the cornerstones of the European Union, providing a framework that allows goods, services, capital and people to move freely across borders. For Montenegro, alignment with the principles and regulations of the internal market represents a key step towards full membership in the EU and significant benefits for the country’s economy and its citizens.