Brussels, 23/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - The Spanish Presidency of the EU hopes that the stabilisation and association agreement (SAA) concluded with Montenegro will be ratified and will come into effect by June of this year, Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Angel Losada said, following the first ministerial meeting of the EU-Montenegro political dialogue in Brussels on Tuesday 23 February. Losada chaired this meeting, replacing Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who, himself, was supposed to deputise for EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, who is currently on a visit to Russia. Once the SAA comes into force (an interim, largely trade, agreement is already in operation), the EU and Montenegro will have a more appropriate contractual framework for helping the country make greater progress in European integration, Losada told press.
Montenegro submitted its application for accession to the EU in December 2008, and the Commission is currently drafting its opinion. Director General of DG Enlargement at the Commission Michael Leigh, refused to say on Tuesday when the opinion might be ready, but stressed that the Commission assessment would be “complete, fair, balanced and objective”. As for all other applicant countries, Montenegro will have to meet all the Copenhagen political criteria before the Commission can recommend opening accession talks, Leigh said. In this, Montenegro has worked very hard, “but we are calling for more progress, particularly in the independence and effectiveness of justice, tackling corruption and organised crime, human rights and freedom of the press,” Leigh said. In all these areas, the country will be judged “on its own merits” in the Commission opinion which will be presented “as rapidly as possible”, he said. Montenegro Foreign Minister Milan Rocen noted that accession to the EU and to NATO were the main strategic objectives of his government. (H.B./transl.rt)