Brussels, (MINA) – Montenegro sees no alternative to its future in the Euro-Atlantic and European space, but does not want membership in the EU until it is fully prepared for it, said Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.
He met Wednesday in Brussels with the ambassadors of the EU member states, within the continuation of the dialogue about the process of Montenegro’s accession to the European Union, its results and challenges as well as European perspective.
Markovic informed the ambassadors about political and economic developments in Montenegro, pointing out that it sees no alternative to its future in the Euro-Atlantic and European space.
“As a country in transition, we are aware of our weaknesses, challenges, but we do not hide them, we do not yield to them and we strongly use the experience, support and consultations of our partners. We are a candidate country that does not want membership in the EU until we are fully prepared for it”, Markovic stated.
According to him, Montenegro does not want to be a new problem in the EU, but to bring new quality.
Informing the ambassadors about the Government’s successful economic policy, Markovic said that the deficit has been halved and that there is no fear for the sustainability of public finances, noting that Montenegro recorded very high economic growth rates – 4.7% in 2017 and 4.9% in 2018.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister said, growth was recorded in all sectors – tourism, energy, agriculture, industry, trade…
Markovic pointed out that Montenegro is successfully fighting organized crime, stressing that in the past year it carried out decisive actions to break up the strongest criminal organizations.
He highlighted the EU’s investment in the region of the Western Balkans, which in the past 10 years amounted to more than € 8 billion, and the trade in the past years amounted to almost €50 billion, with a growth trend in favor of the region.
The ambassadors emphasized that the region of the Western Balkans has a European perspective, as well as the fact that Montenegro is undoubtedly the leader of the integration process.
“Montenegro’s attitude towards other countries in the region and our policy of good neighborly relations and dialogue are highlighted as a positive example, with the assessment that our country represents a stabilizing factor in the Western Balkans”, the government stated.
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