“Enlargement should be seen as an investment in the Union, not merely as a cost for it. The Western Balkans should not be viewed exclusively as a recipient of EU financial assistance, because in the future it will contribute to European security, economic growth, connectivity and resilience. For Montenegro, this is particularly evident when it comes to its contribution to border management, migration, energy security, transport connectivity and digital transformation,” said Montenegro’s Chief Negotiator with the EU, Predrag Zenović.
He took part in a regional meeting of chief negotiators and senior officials responsible for European integration, held in Skopje.
Speaking about the future of enlargement and the EU’s new financial framework, Zenović said that for Montenegro, the key question is not only how much funding will be available for enlargement, but also whether the financial framework will be a strong tool for the socio-economic convergence of candidate countries and new Member States.
“We believe that the next Multiannual Financial Framework should be an instrument that will make the enlargement process faster, more credible and more tangible for citizens. The geopolitical context makes this issue even more important. Enlargement today is no longer just a matter of completing the European project, but also of strengthening Europe’s security, resilience, competitiveness and strategic capacities,” Zenović said.
He said that Montenegro is already demonstrating through the Reform Agenda that performance-based financing, as a new model for European funds, delivers results. We have fulfilled the agreed key milestones and achieved excellent results. We are ready to build on this experience in taking further steps within the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
Speaking about the alignment of national legislation with the European Union acquis, Zenović said that this is one of the key elements of Montenegro’s EU accession process and that the Ministry of European Affairs has a central coordinating role in this process.
He pointed to the importance of coordinated cooperation between the Government and Parliament and noted that, in the previous period, the Parliament of Montenegro had demonstrated a strong readiness to organise extraordinary sessions in order to adopt the remaining legislation necessary to fulfil the closing benchmarks, as well as to apply rational solutions in harmonising legislation with EU law.
Speaking about the future of regional cooperation, Zenović said that it represents a solid foundation for all other international activities and that a country’s strength grows significantly when unity and peace prevail in the region, adding that regional cooperation is a prerequisite for European integration.
“We are proud of the fact that Montenegro has been, is, and will remain a true example of such a spirit,” the Chief Negotiator concluded.