Bečić and Šaranović meet with Commissioner Lahbib

Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić and Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović met with Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, during their working visit to Brussels. 

Expressing her satisfaction with the meeting, Commissioner Lahbib congratulated Montenegro on its achievements and expressed hope for continued progress, stating, "Congratulations, you are a frontrunner on the path to the European Union, and this is an ambition we must achieve together." 

Deputy Prime Minister Bečić recalled his previous meeting with Commissioner Lahbib just days after the formation of the 44th Government, when she was serving as Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs in preparation for the country's Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

The moment we took office was highly challenging. We inherited an almost stalled European integration process and numerous institutional blockages. However, at that time, we jointly affirmed that through hard work, we could achieve significant change—and that is exactly what happened. During Belgium's Presidency, thanks in part to your dedicated and friendly approach, we made a historic breakthrough by receiving IBAR, and by the end of the year, after seven years of stagnation, we closed three negotiation chapters. We continue to advance on the European path because this generational and historic opportunity, which transcends any political or individual interest, must not be missed, Bečić emphasized, also highlighting achievements in disaster protection and response. 

The Ministry of the Interior has fulfilled all obligations under Chapter 27 and within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The successful organization of the Europe and Central Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Montenegro a few months ago, which brought together delegations from around 50 countries, is a testament to our country's progress in this area, the Deputy Prime Minister stated. 

Minister Šaranović emphasized the significant support received from the EU, noting, "Through various programmes and projects, we have had the opportunity to train personnel in the protection and rescue system for effective and timely response, as well as to procure essential equipment, primarily for flood and fire protection and rescue operations." 

According to Minister Šaranović, the Ministry’s capabilities would be further enhanced with the acquisition of an additional helicopter. We have applied for funding through the call issued by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), and we expect a response by the summer, he stated.