WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Montenegro closed Chapter 5 – Public Procurement, the first chapter from Cluster 1 (Fundamental Rights) tonight at the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, thus taking another important step on the path to membership in the European Union, announced the office of Prime Minister Spajić.
The Montenegrin delegation at the Intergovernmental Conference with the EU was led by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
He thanked the Polish Presidency, the Member States and the European Commission for their support in closing the Chapter on Public Procurement.
"We are closing the first chapter from the Cluster Fundamental Rights in the history of EU enlargement according to the new methodology. We are following the dynamics based on the European Commission's export assessment. And by the end of the year we will have many more reasons to celebrate," said Prime Minister Spajić.
The closing of Chapter 5, as he said, is a significant step towards the common ultimate goal - the completion of accession negotiations, recalling that this process, after seven years, was unlocked exactly one year ago, with the receipt of the IBAR.
“Six months ago, at the previous Intergovernmental Conference, I asked you to have confidence in our motivation, determination and ability to deliver you the 28th EU Member State by 2028. Continuity is essential in our marathon - we need to close the chapters at a pace that will enable us to fulfill our European ambitions”, emphasized Prime Minister Spajić.
He said that the Chapter that Montenegro closed today has a special weight, because it directly reflects the quality of governance - through transparency, accountability and effective prevention of corruption. It also comes as a follow-up to last week's recognition received in Dublin for decisive actions and results in the field of combating illegal tobacco trade.
“Montenegro is open for business, but closed to crime and corruption”, said Prime Minister Spajić.
As he pointed out, the progress achieved within the Chapter – Public Procurement demonstrates Montenegro’s institutional maturity and its ability to apply European standards in areas that are necessary for the functioning of the rule of law and ensuring the integrity of public administration.
“It also strengthens the overall credibility of our reform efforts, not only within the accession process but also in achieving European standards as a future EU member state,” added the Prime Minister of Montenegro.
The Director of the European Commission’s Directorate for Enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood, Hert Jan Kopman, congratulated Prime Minister Spajić, the Government of Montenegro and society as a whole.
“I am pleased that we are here after only six months to close another chapter that is the result of your seriousness, commitment and credible planning. What we are doing today is a testament to the merit-based EU enlargement process. And this is a great signal to the entire region. Montenegro is fulfilling its obligations in accordance with the set plan. We are sure that there will be more intergovernmental conferences during this year where we will be able to celebrate together,” said Kopman.
“Your progress and acceleration of the implementation of EU reforms that we celebrate today. From our point of view, the next few months of this year are crucial for the completion of significant reforms, which brings us into the coming year with positive momentum and with good prospects for achieving the ambition to conclude the negotiations. I congratulate the entire team on this fantastic result and look forward to continuing to work with your Government,” said Kopman.
Speaking about the closure of Chapter 5, he stressed that the electronic public procurement system has drastically reduced even the possibility and risk of corruption in this area. “We need to continue on this path with the same dynamics and we will work together on it.”
Poland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, chair of the conference, Agnieszka Bartol, said that accepting new members is our geostrategic imperative and a need of the EU.
“Your future is with us and as soon as possible. You can always count on Poland’s support and assistance on this path,” said Bartol.
As she said, she welcomes the radical reforms that Montenegro has implemented in this complex area – Public Procurement.
During his speech at the Intergovernmental Conference, Prime Minister Spajić emphasized Montenegro's absolute commitment to the rule of law, strengthening citizens' standards, good neighborly policy, and European integration.
"With your support, by the end of this year, we should be ready to close five more chapters – with the additional probability of achieving internal readiness for two more. The negotiating structure and all departments are working hard and well, in close cooperation with the Commission. We promise that we will deserve your approval to close this year as much as in the previous twelve. We will be six times more successful," concluded the Montenegrin Prime Minister.
With the closure of Chapter 5, the number of provisionally closed negotiation chapters has increased to seven.
In the accession negotiations process, all chapters have been opened, and at the Intergovernmental Conference in December 2024, Chapter 7 – Intellectual Property Rights property, 10 – Information Society and Media and 20 – Entrepreneurship and Industrial Policy. Earlier, three chapters were also temporarily closed – 25 – Science and Research, 26 – Education and Culture, 30 – External Relations, the office of Milojko Spajić announced.
Earlier this evening, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić told TVCG that Chapter Five had been closed.
"We have just closed Chapter 5 - one of the most demanding chapters, along with Chapters 23 and 24, which relate to the rule of law and Chapter 27, which concerns ecology, announced Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
The Prime Minister said that this cluster is very demanding, and that it is usually closed at the end of negotiations.
"Montenegro has advanced so much that the European Commission has given a great recognition by closing Chapter 5 already now. We have praise for the great work that has been invested, and I would like to congratulate the entire team," he said in Dnevnik TVCG, broadcast from Brussels.
"There was great optimism today, the messages were encouraging and if we focus on electoral reforms, the result will not be lacking," he said.
As a reminder, Spajić announced today on the X network that he expects all chapters to be closed by the end of 2026.
- A new, important step towards Montenegro's membership in the EU! At the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels today, we are closing Chapter 5 - Public Procurement, first in the fundamental Cluster - Fundamental Rights. With Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, we noted the confirmation of all 27 members of the Union of Montenegro's progress in the area of the rule of law and the implementation of European values in the public procurement system - Prime Minister Milojko Spajić wrote on the X network.
- Chapter 5 is, together with Chapters 23, 24 and 27, one of the most difficult and demanding chapters and very important for us because it represents the basis of the Montenegrin economy. We have almost a billion euros of public procurement annually – which will be fair, transparent, without corruption!
We will close each chapter by the end of 2026. Everything is going according to plan – Montenegro 28th member of the EU 2028! - stated Spajić.
