The President of the Veneto Regional Council Roberto Ciambetti today received a delegation of five representatives from Montenegro in Venice, for a study visit linked to the activities of the CoR's Joint Consultative Committee, which he co-chairs. "The EU accession process is very laborious and can take years, Montenegro however made significant progress towards EU membership" noted Mr Ciambetti. 

Mr Ciambetti emphasized the importance of exchange between local and regional representatives, referring to them as  "instrumental for bringing Montenegro closer to the EU and completing the accession process".

The dialogue with Montenegrin mayors confirmed pro-European sentiment and aspirations, both among the local authorities and citizens they represent. "By organising this study visit I want to put a new emphasis on peer-to-peer cooperation as one of the best ways to bring our partners from candidate countries closer to the EU and share with them our regional and local best practices. I have taken on the Chairmanship of the Joint Consultative Committee between EU and Montenegro with a goal to arrive at such a result. I am convinced that the EU will equally benefit from Montenegro's accession" – concluded the President of the Veneto Regional Council.

The Montenegrin delegation hosted in Veneto was composed of Dusan Raicevic, Mayor of Bar, Zeljko Komnenovic, Mayor of Tivat, Petar Smolovic, Mayor of Bijelo Polje, Vladimir Martinovic, Mayor of Kolasin, Darko Mrvaljevic and Secretary of the Committee for European Integration of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro.