The EU and Montenegro have held their first ministerial political dialogue meeting in Brussels under the new Treaty of Lisbon rules, which has been in effect since 1 December 2009.
The meeting was attended by the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ángel Lossada, representing the Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Catherine Ashton; the Montenegro Minister of Foreign Affairs, Milan Rocen; and the Director General for Enlargement, Michael Leigh, representing the European Commission.
The latest events in the EU and Montenegro and their mutual relationship were examined during the meeting, as well as the development of the situation in the Western Balkans. The meeting also dealt with the questionnaire on which the European Commission will base its opinion regarding Montenegro's accession application and the future actions to be taken by the country.
At the end of the meeting the three participants reported on the issues discussed. They all agreed that significant progress has been made in 2009 in the reforms implemented by Montenegro to meet European standards, but that there is still a way to go.
The Spanish Secretary of State said that the meeting had been very productive, saying that 2009 had been a very important year for EU-Montenegro relations and that, “significant progress” had been made in the adoption of the acquis communautaire. He highlighted the agreement on visas signed on 19 December, and the correct application of other current agreements, before going on to say that he hoped that the ratification process of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement signed in 2007 would soon be completed “giving us a new more intense framework for relations” that will enable them to hold the Council of Association in June.
The Montenegro minister said that “Montenegro has been acknowledged as a solid partner for the stability of the Western Balkans” and that with the coming into effect of the new Treaty “there is now no question about the enlargement” of the EU towards this region. He recognised that “we have advanced towards our goals in 2010 but we still have a difficult path to travel.”
The representative from the Commission agreed that “there has been real progress, but there is still room for work” in areas such as the fight against corruption, human rights and freedom of the press. He said that Montenegro had responded to the questionnaire very well and that Brussels was reviewing its responses in order to issue an “objective and balanced” opinion. Without giving any specific dates, Mr Leigh explained that once the opinion has been issued, Member States will evaluate the situation and decide whether or not to accept Montenegro's candidacy.
Source; European Union