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PM Marković meets with NGOs: Continuous and constructive dialogue is driving force of our society

Published on: Dec 17, 2019 • 5:30 PM Author: PR Service
Only continuous and constructive dialogue from which one learns and matures can and should be the new driving force of our society, not conditioning, exclusivity and unilateralism, Prime Minister Duško Marković said at the round table "Cooperation between the Government and NGOs in the EU Accession Process".

The continuity of the dialogue, he added, is being improved day by day and I am glad that we have overcome some of the shortcomings highlighted at our previous meeting. However, the Prime Minister said that the key critics of the Government's policies and results in the negotiation process did not come to this meeting.

PM Marković pointed out that through several legislative activities we were able to noticeably improve the environment for the NGO sector. This year, EUR 3.5 million has been allocated from the state budget for NGO projects. The tendency of growth of budget support to the work of NGOs is evident, so in the last two years the Government has co-financed 69 NGO projects in the total amount of EUR 1.2 million.

"Since the beginning of the negotiation process, Montenegro has taken the position that negotiation needs to be honest and transparent. Not only were we the only country to bring the civilian sector into working groups, but we didn't push our shortcomings and problems under the rug, we put them on the table. To discuss them and find the best and applicable solution for Montenegrin society," the Prime Minister said and added that it would not be fair to misuse such an approach and use information to achieve some other goals or short-term daily political points.

PM Marković reiterated that Montenegro is committed to fulfilling its obligations under its European agenda and that the EU has no alternative for us. Noting that negotiations are a two-way process, Prime Minister Marković said that we are closely watching developments in the EU and that we are encouraged by the election of the new European Commission and by messages telling us that enlargement is returning to the focus of policy in Brussels.

"We understand the current European context. But what we want is European leadership in the Western Balkans, not any other that does not share or belong to the European value system," the Prime Minister said.

He stressed that the focus of our efforts continues to be on building a stable and strong rule of law system, as the cornerstone of the democratic society we strive for.

"A significant reaffirmation of our efforts is the recent news that the Council of Europe has adopted the Report on meeting the interim benchmarks for Chapter 8, which is a step towards the opening of the only remaining chapter," Prime Minister Marković said.

He pointed out that we have now met most of the provisional benchmarks in Chapters 23 and 24.

Today's meeting with NGOs is the third meeting this year where Prime Minister Marković talked directly with representatives of the civil sector. The round table is organised within the eu4me project, funded by the EU and implemented by UNDP in Montenegro.

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER


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