DPM Ivanović participates in round table on the future of EU enlargement policy

Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović participated as a speaker at the round table “Open Door or Open End: Delivering on EU Enlargement”, held within the main programme of the Munich Security Conference and dedicated to the strategic future of the European Union’s enlargement policy and its role in shaping the contemporary European political landscape.

In addition to Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović, speakers at the round table included Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement; Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for European Affairs of France; Hristijan Mickoski, Prime Minister of North Macedonia; and Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland. The discussion was moderated by Majda Ruge of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The round table brought together senior officials, decision-makers and experts from European institutions and from Member States and candidate countries, with the aim of reflecting on the credibility and sustainability of the enlargement process in altered geopolitical circumstances. Particular focus was placed on preserving a clear and predictable European perspective for candidate countries, as well as on balancing accelerated integration initiatives with the principle of own merits and safeguarding the rule of law as a fundamental criterion of the accession process.

In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović pointed out that enlargement policy remains one of the strongest instruments for the long-term stabilisation and political consolidation of the European continent. He emphasised that preserving its credibility requires ensuring a clear and merit-based accession framework, in which the reform progress of candidate countries is adequately assessed and the European Union’s political commitment to enlargement confirmed through concrete steps.

Among those in attendance at the round table were Gunther Krichbaum, Minister of State for Europe of the Federal Republic of Germany; Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria; Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia; Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration; and Karen Pierce, UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, along with numerous other high-level officials and representatives of European institutions.

By participating in the round table, Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović once again reaffirmed Montenegro’s unwavering determination to continue dynamically fulfilling the conditions of the demanding negotiation agenda, with the goal of initiating the process of preparing the Accession Treaty during the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, and for Montenegro to become a full member of the European Union in 2028. The round table also provided an opportunity to reiterate the supportive positions of EU partner countries regarding Montenegro’s European agenda and the necessity of revitalising the enlargement policy.