Affirming the support of the United States for Montenegro’s accession to the European Union.

Affirming the support of the United States for Montenegro’s accession to the European Union.

Whereas the Montenegro achieved a peaceful independence through a referendum in 2006;

Whereas, following Montenegro’s 2006 independence referendum, it became the 192d member state in the United Nations;

Whereas Montenegro has been a close partner of Maine through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program since 2006, promoting cooperation between the United States and Montenegro in military, economic, and cultural exchanges;

Whereas Montenegro has been a strong ally of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 2017, playing a strategic role in the alliance’s Balkan mission, despite efforts from Russia to keep Montenegro out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;

Whereas Montenegro has made advancements in addressing corruption, countering hybrid influences such as cyber attacks and disinformation in the region and towards Montenegro, combating transnational organized crime and strengthening criminal justice, with the assistance of the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and Department of Justice;

Whereas Montenegro officially applied to join the European Union in 2008, with negotiations beginning in 2012;

Whereas Montenegro has made great progress with European Union accession chapters and continues to diligently achieve measurable progress in the remaining benchmarks;

Whereas, in June 2024, the 16th meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro recognized that the opening benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24 are complete, paving the way for Montenegro to start the process of closing chapters in the accession negotiations; and

Whereas Montenegrins overwhelmingly support their country joining the European Union, as evidenced by the 2023 European Union Delegation to Montenegro’s commissioned survey that found over 79 percent of Montenegrins support European Union membership: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the United States—

(1) appreciates Montenegro’s diligent approach to completing the European Union’s deliberate, merit-based, and thorough process to set the parameters for European Union integration and accession;

(2) fully supports the European Union efforts to support Montenegro and other candidate countries to meet standards for accession;

(3) encourages the Government of Montenegro and Montenegro institutions to prioritize the necessary reforms and measures to advance European Union membership, as well as efforts to further peace and prosperity in the Western Balkans;

(4) recognizes the cooperation between the State of Maine and Republic of Montenegro and the joint military partnership between the Maine National Guard and Armed Forces of Montenegro;

(5) recognizes Montenegro’s positive impact on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, its commitment to regional stability, and its contributions to Ukraine’s defense against Russia;

(6) calls on the President, the Secretary of State, and European allies to advocate for Montenegro’s European Union accession without further bilateral conditions; and

(7) urges the President and Secretary of State to—

(A) work closely with the Government of Montenegro;

(B) support European Union enlargement for the Western Balkans, including Montenegro;

(C) support the further Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans; and

(D) work closely with the Government of Montenegro regarding the bilateral Framework for Countering Foreign Influence Manipulation.