Pažin, Hellbach: Germany remains committed to regatta principle in EU enlargement policy

Podgorica, Montenegro (16 October 2017) -- Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin met earlier today with Kristian Holbach, Envoy of the German Federal Foreign Office for South East Europe Kristian Hellbach.

DPM Pažin pointed out the importance of the continuous German support for Montenegro’s EU and stressed the full commitment of all Montenegrin institutions to the implementation of the undertaken obligations from the negotiation process. He also spoke about the activities undertaken by the Government of Montenegro and the relevant institutions in order to realise the initial balance of the achieved results in the fight against corruption and organised crime. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his expectation that the results will be recognised by the member states during the expected assessment of the fulfilment of the provisional benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24.

Mr Hellbach recalled that Germany remains committed to partnering Montenegro and the region in the process of integration into the European Union. He highlighted Germany's clear position on respecting the regatta principle in EU enlargement policy, where the progress of each candidate country for EU membership will be individually evaluated. In that respect, Mr Hellbach stated that Montenegro is a leader in the region, but also an example of a state that maintains a balanced regional policy, assessing that pragmatism is a feature of Montenegrin politics.

It was jointly noted that the presence of Germany, as well as the European Union in Montenegro and the region, is an important incentive for strengthening the European perspective and preserving the standards of modern democracies. In that context, the two officials exchanged views on the current political situation, as well as the challenges Montenegro faced in the past year in terms of security. It was noted that all political structures should demonstrate democratic capacity and in that context, the government's efforts to create a space for dialogue with the opposition are welcomed, and expressed expectations that the opposition parties will recognise the importance of political dialogue and their adequate participation in the political life of Montenegro.

OFFICE OF THE DEPTY PRIME MINISTER