{"id":59801,"date":"2026-09-09T15:34:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T14:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=59801"},"modified":"2026-09-09T15:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T14:34:39","slug":"discussions-on-montenegros-progress-towards-european-union-membership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/09\/discussions-on-montenegros-progress-towards-european-union-membership\/","title":{"rendered":"Discussions on Montenegro&#8217;s progress towards European Union membership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Chris Fearne reaffirmed Malta&#8217;s support for Montenegro&#8217;s accession to the European Union during meetings in Podgorica with Prime Minister Milojko Spaji\u0107 and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister Fearne welcomed the progress Montenegro has made in its accession negotiations and stressed that the country&#8217;s achievements should be recognized through a credible, fair and merit-based enlargement process. Malta supports Montenegro&#8217;s objective of becoming a full member of the European Union, with the same rights and obligations as every other Member State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He underlined that Montenegro must retain ownership of its European path, while the European Union must respond clearly when candidate countries undertake the required reforms and meet their commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The meetings formed part of an official visit aimed at deepening relations between Malta and Montenegro and discussing the next steps in their bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister Fearne reiterated his commitment to strengthening ties among Mediterranean countries, noting that closer cooperation benefits not only the countries concerned but also the wider European region. Malta and Montenegro share an interest in a stable and prosperous Mediterranean and Western Balkans, two regions whose security and economic development are closely connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malta looks forward to working more closely with Montenegro in tourism and healthcare. The two sides discussed how cooperation in these fields could be developed, alongside existing links in education, diplomatic training and maritime affairs. Both sides agreed that the bilateral relationship should continue to develop in parallel with Montenegro&#8217;s progress towards EU membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister Fearne also confirmed Malta&#8217;s readiness to share the experience it has gained through EU membership and to consider further technical assistance in areas identified together with the Montenegrin authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister Fearne thanked Prime Minister Spaji\u0107 and Minister Ibrahimovi\u0107 for their hospitality and for the open and constructive discussions. He reiterated Malta&#8217;s commitment to maintaining close political dialogue and building a stronger, practical partnership with Montenegro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Photo:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<em>MFEA<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_59801\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"59801\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Chris Fearne reaffirmed Malta&#8217;s support for Montenegro&#8217;s accession to the European Union during meetings in Podgorica with Prime Minister Milojko Spaji\u0107 and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimovi\u0107. Minister Fearne welcomed the progress Montenegro has made in its accession negotiations and stressed that the country&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_59801\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"59801\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 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Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Chris Fearne reaffirmed Malta&#8217;s support for Montenegro&#8217;s accession to the European Union during meetings in Podgorica with Prime Minister Milojko Spaji\u0107 and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimovi\u0107. Minister Fearne welcomed the progress Montenegro has made in its accession negotiations and stressed that the country&#8217;s&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59803,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59801\/revisions\/59803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}