Fifth Meeting of the European Union - Montenegro Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee, attended by the members of the Parliament of Montenegro and European Parliament, has started today in Brussels.

Parliamentary Committee is chaired by – the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mr. Ranko Krivokapić and Deputy Co-Chair of SAPC, Mr. Jelko Kacin, and the Committee consists of 14 members of Montenegrin and European Parliaments each.

In the opening statement, President Krivokapić pointed out the importance of regular semi-annual meeting of Montenegrin and European parliamentarians where the most important issues of European integration of Montenegro and its further democratic maturing have been discussed. He expressed gratitude to European MPs for the continuous support to Montenegro on its European path especially through European Union – Montenegro Parliamentary Committee, which contributed to our great success – opening negotiations with the EU.

President Krivokapić pointed to the contribution of Montenegrin Parliament to opening negotiations with the EU through serious approach of all its MPs in the overall European agenda. “In that way Montenegro has shown remarkable political maturity, and this is a success of position and opposition equally”, said Mr. Krivokapić. Mr. Krivokapić recalled some of the key joint projects of the parliamentary majority and opposition by which mutual parliamentary confidence was deepened. In that context, he noted the joint efforts for adopting amendments to the Electoral Law, the Rules of Procedures of the Parliament and the Law on Parliamentary Investigation. He said that new provisions of the Rules of Procedures represented a step towards the strengthening of the supervisory role of the Parliament as well as its increased focus on monitoring the European integration process of the states. President Krivokapić pointed out that was obvious that the Parliament of Montenegro was in the phase of dynamic changes, capacity building and adjusting to the new European obligations. “Such activity of the Parliament is also notable in the assessments of our European partners through their regular annual reports that present significant and regular progress,” said Mr. Krivokapić.

Mr. Jelko Kacin congratulated Montenegro on having negotiations with the EU which would currently make it, together with Iceland, a negotiator for full-fledged membership in the EU.

After the President Krivokapić and Co-Chair Kacin, on behalf of the Government of Montenegro, Montenegrin and European MPs were addressed by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice Mr. Duško Marković, who, on this occasion, pointed out that Montenegro commenced demanding but multi - beneficial process; that would reform the state and transform society; time consuming but historically lasting. Mr. Marković added that it was the only political goal that was worth consensual and unconditional support of Montenegro.

The meeting was addressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Mr. Nebojša Kaluđerović, who added that European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and regional cooperation would remain a priority foreign policy objectives of Montenegro and expressed pleasure that all segments of the Montenegrin society were involved in this process in an open manner and on equal basis.

On behalf of the Council of the European Union, Mr. Andreas Mavrojanis, Deputy Minister of the European Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus – Deputy Chair of the EU, addressed the meeting and on behalf of the European Commission Ms. Aleksandra Kas Granj, Director of the Directorate General for Enlargement, in charge for Montenegro.

Stabilization and Association parliamentary Committee continued the work discussing two topics. On monitoring the recommendations adopted at the previous meeting of SAPC, speakers were MPs Mr. Slaven Radunović and Mr. Milutin Simović, while monitoring of the flow of negotiations and other available supervisory mechanisms of the Parliament were discussed by MPs Mr. Raško Konjević and Mr. Srđan Milić.

By the end of the day debates on the progress achieved in fight against organized crime and corruption would take place, where MEP Ms. Tanja Fajon and members of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr. Koča Pavlović and Mr. Obrad Mišo Stanišić would report about. Montenegrin MPs Mr. Miodrag Vuković and Mr. Dritan Abazović and MEPs Ms. Kinga Göncz and Mr. Nikos Chrysogelos would report about regional cooperation.