15 10 2007 Luxembourg _ Montenegro has signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement, SAA, with the EU, marking an important step on its path to eventual membership of the Union.
Portuguese Foreign Minister Louis Amado, whose country holds the EU Presidency, said that this agreement was the “best possible framework for future endeavours”.
“The signing of this agreement is a significant milestone on Montenegro’s road towards the European Union”, said Amado.
“The agreement will establish a comprehensive and contractual framework for further development of our relations”, he added.
The European Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn, underlined that this agreement should serve as an inspiration to all western Balkans countries.
“Proper implementation of this agreement is also a gateway to EU candidate status, one day”, Rehn said.
Montenegro’s Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic said that this was big day for the people of his country.
“Today’s signing of the SAA is a clear confirmation that Montenegro shares common European values”, Sturanovic said.
He added that Podgorica was aware of the hard work ahead, but expressed his readiness to implement all necessary reforms needed for European integration.
European officials warned Montenegro that its focus should be on proper implementation of the SAA.
They said Podgorica should continue with its reforms, especially those that concern the constitution.
The signing of the agreement had been put into doubt on Friday when Bulgaria threatened to use its veto, following a dispute in which it demanded the right to spell the word for the common currency, the “euro”, in accordance with its own language and Cyrillic alphabet, as the “evro”.
The Portuguese presidency managed to overcome this last-minute hitch with an agreement, binding Brussels and Sofia to solve their linguistic and technical dispute separately.
Montenegro is the fourth country in the western Balkans to sign an SAA with the EU, following in the footsteps of Croatia, Macedonia and Albania. (Birn)
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