[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 584 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 584

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 15, 2025

    Ms. Pingree (for herself and Mr. Turner of Ohio) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 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.
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