Press release: Prime Minister Sturanovic meets with European Parliament delegation headed by Doris Pack

Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic is supposed to visit the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in Strasbourg in the near future, to discuss Montenegros progress towards European and Euro-Atlantic structures with European parliamentarians. This was agreed at todays talks between Prime Minister Sturanovic and the European Parliaments delegation headed by Mrs Doris Pack.

Prime Minister Sturanovic expressed his appreciation to the European Parliament for prompt ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between Montenegro and the EU, which he said was another confirmation of constructive cooperation between the two sides. This has been largely recognized in the recent EP Resolution, regardless of the fact that Montenegro has had certain reservations in respect of some views stated in the document, which it has communicated to the European Parliament in the form of comments. The Prime Minister recalled that no more than a month and a half ago in Luxembourg, during the signing of the SAA, Europes most senior officials referred to Montenegro as a good European example to other countries in the region.

We may have been too critical in the Resolution, because in the European Parliament Montenegro is seen as a factor of stability, and in this region the same can only be said of Croatia, said Mrs. Doris Pack, head of the EP delegation in charge of Southeastern Europe. She confirmed that Montenegro had full support of the European Parliament, which wanted the youngest European country to have an even better image.

We are friends, and friends have the right to criticize sometimes, said Doris Pack.

Prime Minister Sturanovic and the EP delegation members agreed that providing more thorough information to parliamentarians in Strasbourg about Montenegros achievements in the past year or two was of great importance. In this regard it was noted that talks between Montenegrin and European parliamentarians, above all through the Foreign Affairs Committee, could help see Montenegros progress towards European structures more realistically.

The Prime Minister also had a separate meeting with the European Parliaments Rapporteur for Montenegro Marcelo Vernola.