Brussels, 15/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 15 April, the European Union and Montenegro concluded a bilateral agreement on market access to goods and services, a necessary stage (but not enough) towards Montenegro's accession to the WTO. The agreement was signed by the Montenegro vice prime minister, Gordana Djurovic and the director general at DG trade at the European Commission, David O'Sullivan and puts an end to bilateral negotiations begun in 2005. The EU is the first member of the WTO to conclude a bilateral agreement on market access to goods and services with Montenegro. It has to first of all complete such agreements with Canada, US, Japan, Norway, El Salvador and Switzerland. In parallel to the bilateral process, multiparty discussions are continuing in Geneva as part of the working group framework on Montenegro's accession to the WTO, which has to submit a 2nd progress report before the summer on the accession negotiations begun in December 2004. Sources close to the WTO say that multiparty discussions are stumbling on dossiers on import licences, health and phytosanitary questions, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property, state trading firms and trading rights. Podgorica is homing for accessed before the end of the year. Bilateral trade agreements between the EU and Montenegro are already included in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) signed in October 2007. While awaiting completion of the EU27 ratification process, an interim agreement has been applicable since 1 January pre-empting application of the trade provisions and accompaniment measures included in the SAA. (E.H.)