Podgorica, (MINA) – The next EU-Montenegro Intergovernmental Conference will be held on July 14, the Ministry of European Affairs (MEA) announced.

Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic, who is on an official visit to Ireland, said that the agreement to hold an Intergovernmental Conference in July, immediately after Ireland assumes the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, represents a continuation of the accelerated accession negotiations pace and confirms the support of the member states for Montenegro’s European path.

During her visit to Dublin, Gorcevic met with Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and Defense Thomas Byrne and President of the Joint Committee on EU Affairs of the Irish Parliament Barry Ward and members of the Committee.

According to the press release, Gorcevic’s visit was organized ahead of Ireland’s presidency of the EU Council, during which Montenegro expects to take the final steps towards closing all negotiating chapters.

“We expect that the Irish presidency will provide strong support for the completion of Montenegro’s European path and bring us closer to the goal of becoming a full EU member the end of 2028”, said Gorcevic.

Byrne said that the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU will be dedicated to improving the EU’s competitiveness, values and security.

He noted that Ireland’s goal during its presidency would be to create conditions for the accession of new members and that, in this regard, its priority would be to support the completion of Montenegro’s accession negotiations and the drafting of the Accession Treaty.

“During the meeting with the members of the Joint Committee for EU Affairs of the Parliament of Ireland, opinions were exchanged regarding the enlargement policy and the pace of reforms that Montenegro is implementing with the aim of becoming the next EU member state”, the press release said.