Abazović at AFET: The time has come for Montenegro to strengthen ties with the EU

Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović delivered an address at the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) during an exchange of views on the Draft Report on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on Montenegro, the situation in Montenegro and the scope of negotiations with the European Union.

Before addressing the MEPs, DPM Abazović met with Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) David McAllister. Montenegro's Chief Negotiator with the EU Zorka Kordić, Prime Minister's Adviser Vanja Radević and Deputy Prime Minister's Adviser Filip Adžić also attended the meeting.

Members of AFET, the Committee that monitors the implementation of the common foreign and security policy of the EU and which aims to strengthen and ensure democracy, rule of law and human rights, discussed the Draft Report on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on Montenegro at the regular session on 22 February. Abazović delivered his address ahead of vote, expected in April, and the adoption of the Report on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on Montenegro during a plenary session in May.

Speaking about the situation in Montenegro, DPM Abazović said that after the first democratic change of government, the time had come for Montenegro to strengthen ties with the EU, implementing comprehensive reforms. Abazović pointed out that, with the strong support of the EU, the pro-European future of Montenegro is guaranteed.

Abazović said that this Government is fully committed to European integration and reminded that it is one of the priorities in its work.

Good neighbourly relations in the Western Balkans and EU membership contribute to Montenegro's overall European aspirations. In this way, he said, Montenegro can protect and cherish its values of a multiethnic and tolerant society based on democracy.

As Abazović stressed, the new Government will make sure that Montenegro remains a leader in EU integration. "The fact that we have opened all 33 negotiation chapters and temporarily closed three, carries with it the responsibility to continue with even stronger intensity and be an example to the countries in the region," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Furthermore, he noted that the new Government of Montenegro is not satisfied with the intensity of negotiations in the last few years and is determined to take crucial steps in that direction.

"It is encouraging to see the strong support in favor of EU accession among Montenegrin citizens, which is at an extremely high level, as much as 75 percent, which gives us an incentive to speed up the process of reaching EU standards and policies," Abazović said.

DPM Abazović also spoke in detail about the results of the new Government in the first 100 days and emphasised that its work focused primarily on the fight against corruption and organized crime. In this regard, the activities that contributed to that fight include, as he pointed out, among other things, the establishment of two councils - the National Council for the fight against high-level corruption and the Council for voter list maintenance, as well as detecting abuses of EU donations and arrests of officials suspected of corruption and organized crime.

In his address, Deputy Prime Minister Abazović stressed that without the necessary changes in the Prosecutor's Office, there would be no major progress in the fight against organized crime and corruption. Abazović said that it is in Montenegro's interest to adhere to EU procedures in the process of amending a set of laws on the Prosecutor's Office, in order to achieve joint progress in the rule of law and judicial reform.