119-hres584

[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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