November 2 (SeeNews) - Prime minister Dusko Markovic said on Thursday he expects Montenegro to complete its accession talks with the European Union before 2025.
Montenegro does not see European integration as a race against other countries in the region, the aim is to implement European standards so that the Montenegrin citizens live better, Markovic said in a statement.
In September, the European Commission said it plans to prepare a strategy for the accession of Serbia and Montenegro to the EU with a 2025 perspective. The strategy will lay a particular emphasis on the rule of law, fundamental rights, the fight against corruption and on the overall stability of the region, the Commission said in a letter of intent sent to the European Parliament president Antonio Tajani.
EU countries have their priorities and interests when it comes to the enlargement and the Western Balkan countries should send strong signals of their readiness to fulfil the key requirements for joining the bloc, Markovic said during the "Challenges on the path to the European Union" conference organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro.
"The Berlin process has strengthened the hope for a faster improvement of the standard of living of our citizens. In order to achieve this, we need to implement large infrastructure projects that will connect us better and more efficiently, and for this, we need money from the European funds," Markovic said.
Montenegro has started talks on 28 out of the 35 chapters of EU body of law and has provisionally closed negotiations on three, namely Chapter 30 - External Relations, Chapter 25 - Science & Research and Chapter 26 - Education & Culture.