PODGORICA, 15 May 2017 – The Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro and the Centre for Democratic Transition (CDT) today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation at the EU Info Centre which provides the basis for future joint initiatives to increase the transparency of the European integration process, as well as greater involvement by civil society and citizens in the process of Montenegro’s accession to the European Union. The memorandum was signed by Minister of European Affairs, Aleksandar Pejović, and the president of the CDT, Milica Kovačević.
“I’m happy to be able to sign this agreement today, on the basis of which, in the coming months, we will organise our joint work which should lead to increased transparency and a better understanding among citizens of the content of the work of the Ministry of European Affairs, but also of the wider process of integration, such as negotiations and the use of pre-accession EU assistance – IPA,” said Pejović at the signing ceremony.
The memorandum, among other things, includes the mutual exchange of information, but also disclosure of important documents concerning the accession negotiations, organisation of forums, roundtable discussions and conferences, as well as the design and implementation of educational programmes and media campaigns.
Milica Kovačević from the CDT reminded that this organisation had previously drafted and submitted to the Ministry of European Affairs a proposal for a practical policy for improving the transparency and openness of the institution.
The signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation was followed by a panel discussion titled “Openness and participation in the European integration process”.
Pejović pointed out that the Government and the Ministry of European Affairs are dedicated to improving the transparency of their work, as well as the openness and inclusiveness of the negotiation process, and that to this end it was decided that the negotiating positions for 18 open chapters would be published soon. With four already published, this makes up over two-thirds of the adopted negotiation positions.
Pejović also highlighted the steady increase in the level of citizens’ awareness about the negotiations between Montenegro and the EU. The latest polls show that almost 40 per cent of citizens are generally informed on the topic, while 10 per cent are fully informed.