November 30 (SeeNews) - The European Parliament said it is calling on Montenegro's political leadership to prioritise tackling problems with the rule of law, media freedom, corruption, money laundering, organised crime and its associated violence.
Montenegro is making good progress overall in the EU integration process and with strong political will and sustained progress, it could potentially be ready for EU membership by 2025, the European Parliament said in a statement on Thursday.
In a resolution on Montenegro's progress towards EU accession, adopted in a 484-to-80 vote with 63 abstentions, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) welcomed the ratification of the border agreement between Montenegro and Kosovo, while calling for outstanding border disputes with other neighbouring countries to be resolved quickly.
"Today’s report highlights Montenegro's strong overall progress and is positive about its general direction of travel. With such achievements, however, come greater responsibilities. In this regard, the Parliament has clearly laid out its concerns about media freedom in the country, and the need to intensify the fight against corruption and organised crime," European Parliament rapporteur on Montenegro, Charles Tannock, said.
Montenegro has opened 31 chapters in its EU accession talks thus far, three of which are temporarily closed. The country hopes that it will open the remaining two - Chapter 8 on competition and Chapter 27 on environment - by the end of the year.