Podgorica, (MINA) – Constitutional amendments will not be adopted by the deadline at the end of this month, meaning that Montenegro will lose access to EUR 4.6 million from the EU Growth Plan, said Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic.

 

Gorcevic made this remark in response to an MPs’ question, adding that she was not satisfied with the pace of work on constitutional amendments.

 

According to she, the whole process is being carried out by a small administration, and some minor delays are not the result of a lack of commitment to reforms, but rather of the need to carefully manage priorities at a time when the state is implementing the largest number of European obligations at the same time, the Vijesti portal reports.

 

“I believe it would be wrong to interpret any delay in individual steps as a failure. It is much more important to look at the overall picture. And the overall picture says that Montenegro delivers the best results in the region, drawing the highest percentage of available funds and at the same time making the most significant progress in the EU accession process”, said Gorcevic.

 

She added that she was satisfied with the pace of the implementation of the Reform Agenda, but not in the sense that the work had been finished or that there was no room for further improvement.

 

“On the contrary, there is always the possibility to work faster, more efficiently and better. However, it is equally important to look at the results objectively, based on the facts and in comparison with other countries that go through the same process. And the facts show that Montenegro has been confirmed as a regional leader within the Western Balkans Growth Plan”, said Gorcevic.

 

Answering a question from Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP Ivan Vukovic, Gorcevic said that the pace of work and meeting the benchmarks were not under threat, nor was Montenegro’s goal to complete all obligations under its jurisdiction in the EU accession process by the end of this year.

 

“Montenegro will close all negotiation chapters by the end of the year”, Gorcevic stressed.

 

She said that it is Montenegro’s responsibility to meet the obligations arising from the closing benchmarks in a timely and a high-quality manner.

 

After that, as she added, the evaluation by European institutions follows.

 

“It is a process that implies national responsibility and procedures at the level of the European Union. When it comes to the chapters planned for the May intergovernmental conference, I would like to emphasize that Montenegro fulfilled its obligations within the prescribed deadlines”, said Gorcevic.

 

She added that the short delay in holding the intergovernmental conference was due to procedures on the part of the EU member states, “and not due to delays or insufficient efficiency on the part of Montenegrin institutions”.