The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, stressed on the evening of Tuesday 22 June that progress in the field of the rule of law would determine the overall pace of Montenegro’s EU accession negotiations. Montenegro has already opened all its accession negotiation chapters.
“We agreed that the top priority was to meet the interim benchmarks set out in the rule of law chapters”, he said at the end of the first political intergovernmental conference. These are Chapter 23 on the judiciary and fundamental rights and Chapter 24 on justice and home affairs.
The Commissioner highlighted freedom of the press, expression and media, judicial reform and the fight against high-level corruption and organised crime.
According to Mr Várhelyi, the conference provided Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić with detailed guidance on how to meet these criteria. For his part, Mr Krivokapić confirmed that his country would focus its efforts on these two chapters.
“It is essential for all political actors in Montenegro, be it the government, the parliament or the judiciary, to turn this commitment into tangible results”, Mr Várhelyi warned. “If we want to go all the way, Montenegro will have to show unity in political dialogue”, Krivokapić added.
According to the Portuguese Secretary of State Ana Paula Zacarias, beyond the rule of law, the EU Member States emphasised freedom, security and justice, competitiveness, inclusive growth, interconnections, the green agenda and a greener and digital economy. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)