EU ambassador presents 2012 progress report to PM Lukšić

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Podgorica, Montenegro (10 October 2012) – Head of EU Delegation to Montenegro Mitja Drobnič presented to Prime Minister Igor Lukšić the EU progress report, which shows the amount of progress Montenegro has achieved in its EU integration efforts.

Prime Minister Lukšić noted that the assessment from the report shows Montenegro is on the right track, and welcomed EU's recognition of Government's efforts to implement reforms and EU standards in cooperation with all society's stakeholders.

He also noted that the report shows some challenges that lie ahead, and noted that it will serve as a guideline for more efficient organisation of negotiations structures and focusing on key areas that need improvement. He noted that the opening of accession negotiations gave a strong boost to Montenegro's efforts and showed that concrete results and hard work are recognised in Brussels.

Ambassador Drobnič noted that the opening of accession negotiations confirms continuity in the progress Montenegro has achieved thus far. He particularly commended the decision to involve NGOs in the negotiations structures.

He highlighted certain report's findings and noted that Montenegro has successful in meeting the political criteria and strengthening the overall role of the parliament and its transparency, and added that further reform is needed in the areas such as judiciary and public administration reform.