Vitomirović: Chapter 14 is not just a negotiation benchmark – the goal is European level of safety and passenger rights

The State Secretary at the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Northern Development, head of the Working Group for Chapter 27, and Montenegro's negotiator for Cluster 4, Nenad Vitomirović, assessed that European integration of transport brings stricter rules on roads, better organized railways, greater passenger protection, and improved connection of ports and airports with European corridors. He explained that Chapter 21 defines the infrastructural framework – roads, railway routes, ports, airports, and energy networks connecting Montenegro physically with European corridors, while Chapter 14 regulates the rules under which transportation of people and goods occurs on this infrastructure. Vitomirović clarified that regarding Chapter 14, Montenegro has worked on fulfilling four final benchmarks, which include harmonization in road transport, railway safety and interoperability, passenger rights across all modes of transport, and air traffic management. "Our goal is not just the formal closure of negotiation chapters but for Montenegro to become a functional part of the European transport space – infrastructurally connected, safe, market-regulated, and capable of consistently applying European standards," emphasized Vitomirović. He assessed that these data do not provide enough basis to determine the causes of the decline in passenger transport without additional analysis but indicate the need to improve train reliability, adherence to schedules and travel times, availability of vehicles, and the connection of railways with other public transport modes. European harmonization, he concluded, should contribute to better transport quality, safer and more reliable service, improved information, more efficient handling of delays or disruptions, and greater accessibility of stations and trains for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility.