Commissioner Kos congratulates PM Spajić on continued closure of negotiation chapters

Montenegro continues to close chapters and remains a leading candidate and an important partner of the European Union. The expansion of the European family is crucial for ensuring its unity, security and prosperity, the meeting between Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi stated.

Prime Minister Spajić met earlier today with Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos in Brussels, where he leads the Montenegrin delegation at the Intergovernmental Conference with the EU, at which our country will close Chapter 5 – Public Procurement.

We are continuing with great strides towards full membership in the EU. After six months, our new results in the area of the rule of law have been recognised, confirming that we are a leading country in the accession process and an important partner of the EU, said Prime Minister Spajić.

As he stated, closing Chapter 5, and the green light from all 27 EU member states, is a strong confirmation that the area of public procurement in Montenegro is aligned with the best European practices.

The Prime Minister emphasised that everything is going according to the planned dynamics, mutually agreed upon between Montenegro and the European Commission.

We will complete the closing of the chapters by the end of 2026. We are now closing Chapter 5, which is part of the fundamentals, arguably one of the toughest and most demanding chapters, together with chapters 23, 24, and 27, but for us it is very important because it is a basis of the Montenegrin economy. We have almost one billion euros per year of public procurement deals that go through the tender process that is now transparent and corruption-free, said the Montenegrin Prime Minister.

Commissioner Kos stressed that she strongly supports Prime Minister Spajić's vision to finish negotiations by the end of 2026.

The chapter we are closing today is very important and I congratulate the Prime Minister of a country that could be the next member of the EU, Ms Kos underlined.

Prime Minister Spajić thanked Commissioner Kos and the European Commission for their trust and continuous support.

Both sides agreed that EU enlargement is a common priority and a guarantee of a safe, united, and prosperous Europe.