As part of a study visit to the EU institutions, the president of the Council of the Agency for the Protection of Competition, Dragan Damjanović, met the head of the D2 unit for Montenegro and Serbia in the General Directorate for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Policy, Michael Miller. The meeting was attended by Max Phillipe Lehne from DG NEAR and Luka Dedić from the Ministry of European Affairs.
In an open conversation, Damjanović introduced Miller to the vision of the Agency’s new management, as well as to the activities that will be implemented in order to fulfill the final criteria in Negotiating Chapter 8. The focus of the conversation was ways to strengthen the Agency’s administrative capacity, as well as the situation in challenging cases whose solving awaits the Agency. Miller emphasized his belief that the Agency, in accordance with European norms and practice, will make relevant decisions in the cases of Montenegro Airlines, KAP and the Bar-Boljare highway, and that the EC expects decisions in the shortest possible time. Also, Miller expressed his satisfaction with the presented vision of the development of the Agency by the new management in terms of realizing the independent role of the Agency, increasing the transparency of the implemented processes and additional capacity building in order to fully fulfill their mandate.
The President of the Council expressed his belief that the good cooperation with the EC will be further improved and that it will result in measurable results in the process of EU integration and in the interest of all Montenegrin citizens. Closer cooperation in all challenging issues related to competition and state aid was agreed upon.