Ksenija Milenkovic, the acting Director of the European Integration Office of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, has emphasised the importance of the accession negotiations of the Republic of Serbia on EU membership and the overall reform process internally at the Second Meeting of the Joint Committee for the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of Montenegro in the context of EU accession, which was held today in Belgrade. She expressed her expectation that this meeting will contribute to the improvement of cooperation between the two countries on their path to EU membership.
Representing the most significant results of the Republic of Serbia in the course of the negotiation process, Ms. Milenkovic has, on this occasion, reminded that the Republic of Serbia has opened four chapters in the previous period:Chapter 32 - Financial Control, which is of great importance in the fight against corruption and stabilizing the financial sector; Chapter 35 - Other Issues, which, in the case of the Republic of Serbia, is specific in relation to the negotiations that other candidates had, since it deals with the monitoring of the process of normalization of relations and the agreements reached in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina; and also the two most significant reform chapters: Chapter 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights and Chapter 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security. Highlighting the importance of maintaining the dynamics of the accession process, the acting Director of the European Integration Office expressed hope that the Republic of Serbia shall also open Chapter 5 - Public Procurement, Chapter 25 - Science and Research, and Chapter 26 - Education and Culture by the end of the year.
Aleksandar Andrija Pejovic, the Chief Negotiator for Montenegro's Accession to the European Union, underlined that the regular meetings between the Negotiating Teams of Serbia and Montenegro represent a valuable contribution to the promotion of regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations between the two countries. He stated that, by opening of 24 negotiation chapters (of which two have been provisionally closed), intensive implementation of the legislative and institutional framework for the fight against corruption and organized crime, and by encouraging further infrastructural development in the framework of the Berlin Process, Montenegro is working in the interest of lasting and sustainable socio-economic changes.Pejovic has highlighted that the EU accession is the common goal of countries in the region, and that the progress of each of its neighbours is, in the long term, the progress of Montenegro as well.
In four working sessions, the members of the Serbian and Montenegrin negotiating groups for Chapter 14 - Transport Policy, Chapter 20 - Enterprise and Industrial Policy, Chapter 21 - Trans-European Networks, Chapter 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, Chapter 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security, and Chapter 27 - Environment, have presented the current situation and exchanged experiences regarding the negotiation process so far.
The following representatives have attendedthe Second Meeting of the Joint Committee for the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of Montenegro in the context of EU accession: the European Integration Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister in charge of the European Integration, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, as well as the representatives of other institutions of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the members of the Negotiating Team.
On behalf of Montenegro, the meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the members of the negotiating groups.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the Third Meeting of the Joint Committee between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of Montenegro is to be held in 2017 in Montenegro.
