The sixteenth meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro at Ministerial level was held today in Brussels.
The European Union delegation was led by Ms Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, on behalf of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the participation of Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. The Montenegrin delegation was led by Mr Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro.
The meeting took stock of Montenegro’s progress on the rule of law chapters – Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, and Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom and Security – and provided guidance on the work ahead.
The EU confirmed that Montenegro has, overall, met the interim benchmarks set for Chapters 23 and 24. This paves the way for Montenegro to start the process of closing chapters in the accession negotiations.
On this basis, the EU also set benchmarks for the provisional closure of Chapters 23 and 24, including detailed criteria for meeting these benchmarks.
Fundamental reforms and the rule of law are at the core of the EU accession process. The EU welcomes Montenegro’s progress in meeting the interim benchmarks for the relevant negotiation chapters. It is now important to establish a track record of implementation and deliver results on the ground. This will be key for Montenegro’s continued success on the EU path.
Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, on behalf of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Currently 33 chapters in Montenegro’s EU accession negotiations have been opened and 3 have been provisionally closed.
Monitoring of progress in the alignment with and implementation of the acquis in both Chapters 23 and 24 will continue throughout the negotiations.