Spajić: The goal is within reach, Montenegro enters the final stage of EU negotiations

At the intergovernmental conference with the European Union held in Luxembourg, three negotiating chapters were provisionally closed: Chapter 17 (Economic and Monetary Policy), Chapter 18 (Statistics), and Chapter 19 (Social Policy and Employment). Addressing the conference, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said the results achieved confirm that Montenegro’s goal is within reach and that intensive reform efforts, with the support of European partners, are delivering concrete progress. He thanked all member states, the European Commission and expert teams for their support and cooperation, stressing that the progress is the result of joint work by Montenegrin and European institutions, growing trust and consistent commitment to European standards. Speaking about the closed chapters, Spajić said they represent three important pillars of European integration: sound economic governance, reliable data for policymaking and social progress. The closure of Chapter 18 confirms progress in building a high-quality, reliable and independent statistical system as the foundation of responsible governance and evidence-based decision-making. He particularly highlighted the intensive work in the area of the rule of law over the past six months, expressing the expectation that this progress will soon enable the provisional closure of the remaining chapters in the fundamentals cluster.