Zenović in Skopje: Enlargement should be viewed as an investment in the EU

The Western Balkans should not be viewed solely as a recipient of EU financial aid, as it will contribute to European security, economic growth, connectivity, and resilience in the future. For Montenegro, this is especially evident in its contributions to border management, migration, energy security, transport connectivity, and digital transformation, said Montenegro's chief negotiator with the EU, Predrag Zenović. Speaking about the future of enlargement and the new EU financial framework, Zenović stated that for Montenegro, the key issue is not only how much funds will be available for enlargement but also whether the financial framework will be a strong tool for socio-economic convergence of candidate countries and new member states. Regarding the alignment of national legislation with EU legal standards, Zenović said this is one of the key elements of Montenegro's EU accession process and that the Ministry of European Affairs has a central coordinating role in this process. He emphasized the importance of coordinated cooperation between the Government and Parliament and highlighted that the Montenegrin Parliament has recently shown strong readiness to hold extraordinary sessions to adopt the remaining regulations necessary to meet the final criteria, as well as to implement rational solutions in harmonization with EU legislation. Concerning the future of regional cooperation, Zenović said it represents a solid foundation for all other international activities and that a country's strength significantly increases when unity and peace prevail in the region, making regional cooperation a prerequisite for European integration.