Montenegro has fulfilled all requirements under its jurisdiction to advance to the second phase of the European Common Aviation Area, or ECAA, agreement, the country’s Ministry of Transport announced.
The progress was confirmed during a meeting of the ECAA Joint Committee held in Brussels on September 22 and 23.
Montenegro’s delegation was led by Ivan Šćekić, director of the Civil Aviation Agency. Ministry of Transport representatives Milica Mićunović and Belma Hasanović also attended the meeting.
Montenegro ECAA Agreement Awaits Formal EU Decision
The meeting included representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport and was chaired by its aviation director, Filip Cornelis.
Participants confirmed that Montenegro had made significant progress and satisfied all aviation-related requirements for moving from the first to the second phase of the Montenegro ECAA agreement.
The remaining issues involved competition and state aid. According to the ministry, those matters were resolved in cooperation with the Agency for the Protection of Competition.
Montenegro also recently closed Chapter 8 on competition in its negotiations with the European Union, completing the remaining obligations relevant to the first phase of the agreement.
The Ministry of Transport said the achievement reflects the continued work of national institutions to align Montenegro’s civil aviation system with European standards.
The country is now awaiting a formal decision from the European Commission confirming its advancement to the second phase.
Major Step Toward European Aviation Integration
Moving into the second phase would mark an important step in Montenegro’s integration into the European aviation area.
The ministry said it would also confirm that the country continues to strengthen its regulatory and institutional framework in line with EU rules and standards.
Following formal approval, Montenegro would become the first non-EU country in the region to reach this level of progress under the ECAA agreement.
Croatia completed the first phase before joining the European Union, while other non-EU countries in the region have not yet met all requirements for entering the second phase.
The Ministry of Transport said Montenegro had completed its part of the process and that the next step depends on formal confirmation from the European Commission.
