Brussels, 06/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - Independent since 21 May, Montenegro will now be negotiating its own road to the European Union, one of the first steps of which is the conclusion of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. The Commission recommends that the Council continue negotiations begun in 2005 with the Union of Serbia-Montenegro on the basis of results achieved so far, but in the aim of concluding two separate SAAs: one with Montenegro and the other with Serbia. The Commission has adopted by written procedure a new negotiating directive for beginning direct talks with Montenegro, and a proposal aimed at modifying and adapting the current negotiating directive with Serbia. The Council must give its go-ahead, by unanimity, to these two requests. The first consequence is that the fact that the EU had decided to suspend negotiations with Serbia due to its lack of cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will in no way prevent the Commission from starting talks with Montenegro as soon as it has obtained the negotiating directive.