DPM Marković, EU's Drobnič: Montenegro sets example in region

Podgorica, Montenegro (30 August 2016) -- Montenegro each year progresses and achieves results that will lead to its full membership in the EU, Deputy Prime Minister Duško Marković and Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Ambassador Mitja Drobnič, concluded at today's meeting in Podgorica.

During the farewell visit, Ambassador Drobnič said that Montenegro sets an example for other countries in the region, stressing that it has a future in the European Union.

He praised the high public support for European integration, adding that many of the benefits of EU membership can encourage the development of northern Montenegro in particular.

Deputy Prime Minister Marković noted that Montenegro will continue intensively to fulfill commitments from the European agenda. He noted that many development projects were implemented, hopeful that economic development will be enhanced through the implementation of the planned investment, but that socio-political cohesion remains crucial.

Commenting on the political situation, Ambassador Drobnič said that the Government, by opening the door for the opposition, responded maturely to political crisis and gave a new quality to the work of the executive authority. The Deputy Prime Minister said that there are no obstacles for the maintenance of fair and free elections, the results of which, he believes, will be recognised by all the stakeholders, thus making the legitimacy of the future government indisputable. In that context, he said that the ID cards, although not electronic, contain biometric data that have been recognised in international trade and are valid document on the basis of which the voting right can be achieved.