The Chairman of the Committee for European Integration, Ivan Vuković (Democratic Party of Socialists), remarked that this body has played a crucial role in convincing partners of Montenegro’s commitment to becoming the next EU member.

He made these comments during a session that took place today.

The agenda included three points: a report on the Committee’s work last year, a work plan for this year, and current issues.

The deputies approved the report from the previous year.

Vuković emphasized that in 2024, the Committee would concentrate on its oversight responsibilities concerning the negotiation process. He noted that, throughout the last year, nine sessions took place covering 20 agenda items, resulting in 23 conclusions and four consultative hearings.

“Regarding bilateral events, we organized trips to Slovakia and Romania. In terms of multilateral events, we visited Georgia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany. Concurrently, we engaged with representatives from Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Malta, prominent EU officials, and ambassadors from 16 EU member states right here in Montenegro,” he reported.

Vuković acknowledged that some planned activities were not realized “due to the specific political circumstances faced at the end of last year,” and mentioned that activities were organized by cluster, including one session on Chapter 27.

Representative of the Civic Movement (GP) URA, Ana Novaković Đurović, commented that the committee has been diligently working, expressing that there is significant interest in the European integration process from both government and opposition members.

MP Jovan Subotić, from the New List and part of the European Parliament’s parliamentary group of the Europe Now Movement (PES), mentioned his enthusiasm for the rest of the year, predicting eight months of intensive campaigning ahead.

Vuković reiterated that the Committee has aided in persuading partners about Montenegro’s aspirations for EU membership.

His party colleague Mihailo Anđušić emphasized the need for greater focus on clusters, specifically the negotiation chapters.

Vuković suggested that the Committee should not act as a court, but rather as a framework to find answers regarding integration issues.

He referred to the closure of chapters, indicating the necessity of organizing meetings for activity coordination, mentioning that one chapter could potentially be temporarily closed in June.

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