The Third Session of the Committee for European Integration held

At the Third Session held today, in the presence of Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević and State Secretary in the Ministry of European Affairs Bojan Božović, members of the Committee for European Integration got acquainted with the current dynamics of the negotiation process between Montenegro and the EU, and especially in the context of the goals of the Ministry of European Affairs jobs and reconstruction of the negotiation structure.

The Minister of European Affairs informed the members about the structural and organizational changes in the Ministry and presented the new negotiation structure. Gorcevic announced that the chief negotiator would be appointed at one of the next sessions of the Government, after which the negotiation team will be completed and the heads of the negotiation working groups appointed. She emphasized that the recently adopted report of the European Commission, with evaluations and recommendations for the further course of negotiations, will serve as a road map for the Ministry for the coming year. At the session, the contribution of the Parliament of Montenegro was praised, embodied in concrete decisions concerning the ratification of agreements within the Berlin process, as well as the appointment of holders of judicial functions, which represents a kind of contribution to the acceleration of negotiations in the key chapters 23 and 24.

During the consultative hearing of Minister Gorčević, the members of the Committee made a constructive contribution to the discussion, being particularly interested in the novelties introduced by the current Ministry compared to the previous practice, the focus of the Ministry in the context of readiness for the temporary closure of the chapter, the appointment of the chief negotiator, but there were also questions about the role of local self-governments in the process of accession, and the strengthening of administrative capacities, primarily in the area of pre-accession assistance programs.

After several hours of discussion, it was concluded that a lot has been done in terms of internal consolidation in terms of establishing an institutional framework, with the expectation that the effectiveness of the negotiation structure will be confirmed in practice.

The members of the Committee praised the inclusive approach of the executive structures in the continuation of the negotiations, emphasizing that the comprehensive process of European integration concerns various social and political subjects, but that it is important to take care of administrative capacities, which should not only be improved, but also preserved and additionally motivated. They agreed that the advantage of the current moment at the Union level, when it comes to supporting the enlargement policy, should be used to the best possible extent, through the unique positions of the Parliament and the Government regarding key interests and readiness to meet the criteria for closing the negotiation chapters.

Also, at today’s meeting of the Committee, MP Jovan Subotić was elected as the Deputy President of the Committee, and delegations agreed to participate in international activities at the beginning of 2024.

PARLIAMENT OF MONTENEGRO