Politics

Montenegrin parliament passes key laws to boost EU membership hopes

Photo: Gert Jan Koopman/ X
Photo: Gert Jan Koopman/ X
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The Montenegrin Parliament has passed all necessary laws to receive a positive report from the European Commission (EC) on meeting interim rule of law standards.

The EC recommended holding an Intergovernmental Conference with Montenegro, which applied for EU membership in 2008, and issued a positive report on the country meeting the criteria in Chapters 23 and 24, which cover rule of law and judiciary reforms.

The EC’s positive assessment marks significant progress in Montenegro’s EU accession journey, reflecting its improvements in combating organized crime, corruption, and judicial reforms.

The European Commission has sent the report to EU member states, which will ultimately decide on the continuation of accession negotiations. The final decision is expected by mid-June, according to local media.

Upon meeting the interim requirements, Montenegro will receive the final standards needed to close negotiations on these chapters. Justice Minister Andrej Milović, whose ministry oversaw the legislative updates, thanked parliamentarians and the “unsung heroes” who prepared the legal changes. “Long live European Montenegro!” he said on social media platform X. Montenegro applied for EU membership in December 2008 and achieved candidate status in December 2010.

Accession negotiations began in June 2012, with 33 out of 35 chapters opened to date, but only three have been provisionally closed. Serbia, another Balkan country in negotiations with the EU, has opened 22 chapters of which two have been provisionally closed.

These chapters cover various policy areas such as free movement of goods, competition policy, agriculture and judiciary, and fundamental rights, among others.

Each chapter must be opened and provisionally closed during the negotiation process, indicating that the candidate country has aligned its laws and policies with EU standards in that area.
Source: PAP, X
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